Off the rails: Jones not a fan of project
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has poured cold water on the proposed light rail project for Auckland.
Jones told an infrastructure conference yesterday that cost increases in the City Rail Link “makes me very, very cautious about light rail”. He repeated that view in a panel discussion.
The Government has also come under fire from an unprecedented combination of lobby groups for its handling of the project. In a letter to Transport Minister Phil Twyford, the groups accused the Government of not having a transparent process and of undermining public trust in the process before the project is even approved.
Jones later said he was “under strict instruction not to talk about light rail” from Finance Minister Grant Robertson.
Jones also said the issue “has not been to the NZ First caucus and it will need to before we have a position as a party”.
Cabinet is due to make a decision on light rail next month.
The lobby groups’ letter, obtained by the Herald, is signed by leading members of the Automobile Association (AA), Employers and Manufacturers Association, Greater Auckland, Generation Zero, Bike Auckland and Heart of the City.
The groups have almost never spoken with one voice on any transport issue in Auckland.
Their letter expresses concern at “the Government’s handling of the Auckland rapid transit programme”.
The groups do not express a view on the merits of light rail. They say their worries about transparency relate to a lack of information on the project, the failure of the Government to allow for informed public debate, the lack of “engagement with stakeholders” and a perception there is not a “level playing field” for making decisions.
The letter follows a meeting with the minister and another letter they sent in mid-December.
Twyford responded: “Cabinet has agreed that light rail is Auckland’s rapid transit solution to the crippling congestion Aucklanders face every day . . . Those who will use it should have a say and as soon as Cabinet has made a decision about a delivery partner, we’ll be in a position to release much more information.”