Labour pledges Christchurch rail plan
A major investment in commuter rail would take cars off roads and boost the rebuild of the city centre, David Cunliffe says. Tim Fulton reports.
Greater Christchurch under Labour will get a $100 million-plus ‘‘backbone’’ of commuter rail to last it for 100 years, the party says.
An upgrade of track, stations and rolling stock would link Rangiora and Rolleston with Christchurch, Labour leader David Cunliffe said in Addington yesterday.
Labour would take an unallocated $100m from the Land Transport Fund, as a precursor to electrification of tracks and a link to Christchurch Hospital and the inner-city transport interchange.
Work on the proposed network would start next year with the first upgrades from Rangiora to the city, Cunliffe said.
‘‘Giving people an attractive, easy alternative to driving will reduce the number of cars on the road, leading to dramatically less congestion for people who choose to drive,’’ he said.
He expected commuter rail would open up Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Rolleston for residential and commercial development.
‘‘This investment will help ensure that the rebuilt Christchurch will be the vital and connected city its people deserve,’’ Cunliffe said.
Labour’s transport spokesman Phil Twyford said the project would be done in stages.
The first phase would cost about $120m, with about $100m paid for by unallocated funds from the National Land Transport Fund, and involved establishing commuter rail from Rangiora with stops at Kaiapoi and in the northern suburbs.
Labour would seek some co-
Labour leader David Cunliffe promises a $100 million commuter rail package for Christchurch - if elected on September 20. investment from councils.
The first phase of the commuter track network would accommodate about 10 per cent of commuters from the north heading into the city.
The second phase, which would also cost about $100m, would link Rolleston and other stops in the west and would likely begin in a few years.
Stage two would accommodate 10 per cent of commuters from the west.
Labour expects the Crown would make a significant contribution to the second phase, with additional NLTF funding.
That additional track would likely run from Riccarton past the hospital and bus interchange to the Moorhouse Ave station to create a central-city link.
As an interim measure, Labour envisaged that shuttle buses would service the central business district from the Riccarton station.
Twyford said putting $100m into rail would not be at the expense of other transport funding, except for ‘‘pixie dust projects’’ National had recently committed to in a $200m-plus regional roading programme.
He said Labour would review National’s Roads of National Significance programme and scrap National’s proposed ‘‘holiday highway’’ between Puhoi and Warkworth north of Auckland.