The wrong priorities

The government’s announcement on Friday that it will spend nearly $100 million replacing parts of the North Auckland railway line between Swanson and Whanga¯rei shows that it hasn’t got its transport investment priorities straight.

Rail is not commercially viable, and to throw money at it when 99 per cent of freight movement in the North is by road shows a complete disregard for common sense.

Rail cannot compete with trucks, and businesses demonstrate this by voting with their feet. Just one service a day runs on the line, and only on week days.

Northlanders, from top to bottom, from business leaders to the man in the street, have made it very clear that they want a four-lane highway for the region’s economic future. This spending is a total waste of money, being thrown at an uneconomic section of rail that has never paid its way, and never will.

This is a lacklustre attempt to shore up a dilapidated transport link that is way past its use-by date. The government has admitted this will support “future growth” of the Northland rail line, but the reality is that it has diverted hundreds of millions of dollars from roading projects that would be of great benefit to Northland and replaced it with tens of millions of dollars that won’t be.

The existing business case for extending the Northland rail line describes the project as “marginal,” with a very low costbenefit ratio of 0.32. Funding part of the overall project separately in advance is a sneaky way of artificially improving the business case for extending the line. This has the potential to mess with NZTA’s apolitical funding decisions.

I think it’s pretty telling that despite much-needed state highway improvements, road is still the first choice for transport in and out of Northland. National recognises this, and unlike the government, is prepared to invest in a four-lane highway from Auckland to Whanga¯rei.

As the local MP I hear it from everyone: Northlanders want and need safer and more modern roads.

Northland punches below its weight, with slower growth than the rest of the country.

But I’m aspirational for our economic future, and I believe that investment in a four-lane highway will future-proof our region and improve outcomes for all Northlanders.

"Northlanders, from top to bottom, from business leaders to the man in the street, have made it very clear that they want a four-lane highway for the region’s economic future. "