‘Unpopular’ transport cuts forecast for Wellington region
Tuesday, 10 September 2024
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An estimated $134 million shortfall in Government transport and infrastructure funding has the potential to put Wellington’s entire transport system at risk, says Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter.
Ponter listed 85 examples of unfunded projects across the region in a letter addressed to the mayors, chairs of mana whenua and members of Parliament in the Wellington Region on Tuesday following Transport Agency Waka Kotahi NZ’s final decisions on the National Land Transport Plan for 2024-2027, released a week ago.
Wellington was allocated $3.3 billion ‒ 10% of the money allocated nationally ‒ which Transport Minister Simeon Brown said would increase productivity and reduce travel times in the region.
“Delivering infrastructure to increase productivity and economic growth is a priority for our Government,” Brown said last week. “We're focused on delivering transport projects in Wellington that deliver reliability for commuters, benefit businesses, and support economic growth. Projects must also demonstrate value for money.”
Ponter’s list included the Golden Mile, bus shelters, toilets for bus drivers, train station seismic strengthening, Total Mobility disability services and Park and Ride facility upgrades.
“Excluding a handful of already committed projects, nearly every one of our 40-plus infrastructure, service enhancement and community-based projects have had funding declined with little to no explanation,” Ponter said.
Greater Wellington was “surprised and disappointed at the severity of these unprecedented, seemingly indiscriminate cuts to public transport funding in the NLTP”, he said.
“While we are still assessing the full extent of the under-investment, we are estimating a $134m shortfall in funding over the next three years (2024/25 – 2026/27).”
While Ponter believed the council had enough funding to cover most services, the shortfall meant there was likely no money to replace ageing infrastructure or to make the public transport network more accessible to communities.
“We have seen the outcome of this approach to infrastructure investments when we look at our water services and rail assets around the country,” he said.
“We will be working hard to ensure this decline does not set in, but that may require some difficult decisions about how to prioritise investment over the coming years.”
The council was conducting a “line-by-line” review of all projects to determine which could progress under just local share funding or which projects would require significant modification to cover the shortfall, Ponter said.
“With the recent significant rates increases we simply cannot attempt to cover any part of this shortfall through further rates increases.”
Wellington region had the second highest per capita use of public transport in Australasia but the Government funding decision put the whole transport system at risk, he said.
The council was considering “some tough and unpopular decisions which will be felt by communities across our region”.
Cost saving could also result in reducing school and ferry services, rationalising high cost and low usage routes, route duplications on road and rail and further increasing of fares.
The council was also concerned about funding for more metropolitan rail and expected to hear more separately in due course.
Work on developing a draft Wellington Regional Public Transport Plan, which was planned to go through public consultation from this month, was requested to be paused.
Brown has been approached for comment.
A summary of some projects and services which had funding declined and are at risk can be found below:
Wellington City:
Golden Mile: Bus shelters and real time information infrastructure along the new Golden Mile redevelopment.
Regional Busways Programme: Funding to work with WCC, PCC and HCC to develop high frequency, bus prioritisation corridors including roading and traffic signal changes.
No. 2 Bus route: Roading and infrastructure upgrades to the route 2 to allow higher capacity Articulated Electric Buses (particularly out of Karori which is at maximum bus capacity).
On-Demand: Future rollout of regional on demand services are now not expected to be continued. Funding for continued operations and maintenance of the Tawa app-based service under review.
Johnsonville Transport Hub: Redevelopment Feasibility, Business Casing, and Design for a new Johnsonville Transport Hub and Interchange.
Ngauranga Railway Station: Seismic Strengthening.
Council depot and charging infrastructure implementation: Required for future bus growth, fleet electrification and competitive tending of bus services.
Johnsonville Stop D: To provide sufficient bus shelter capacity and parking capacity to meet current demand for additional bus services.
Wellington Bus Layovers: Development for a CBD bus parking spaces required for bus charging and network growth.
Lambton Quay Interchange: Intended Purchase of WCC assets to enable longer term, timely reinvestment in critical infrastructure
Thorndon Road and City Street (Karori): Addition of new bus shelters.
Driver facilities: Six additional toilets at key layovers across the city.
Hospital Joint Transport Strategy: Funding for travel initiatives to and from Wellington Hospital.
Buses Replacing Trains Infrastructure (BRT): Introduction of shelters, seating, lighting and roading changes at key bus stops used for train replacement services.
New bus stop facilities: Shelters, seating and directional signage for customer access and security.
Improving Network Accessibility: Including Infrastructure upgrades / changes to the most inaccessible bus stops and stations, navigation aids for the blind, driver accessibility training and audio announcements at all stations.
Total Mobility disability services: ‘Ride Wise’ system replacement of the end-of-life Total Mobility management systems and app.
Park and Ride facility upgrades: Providing cycle parking facilities, roading changes, more spaces etc.
New Metro rolling stock: Business casing, planning and early works for additional 'Matangi style trains' to increase frequency of train services.
National Ticketing Solution (NTS) regional upgrades: Using the NTS to leverage other Metlink booking and ticketing systems (e.g. park and ride, on demand, business targeted products etc).
Metlink technology programme: Modernising customer information and journey planning (e.g. apps, website improvements etc).
Rail Station Infrastructure Improvements: Basic improvements to stations across the network including signage, accessways and seating / lighting.
Hutt City
Waterloo Station: Replacing the end-of-life station (including roof), development of a bus interchange, significant upgrades to station amenity and accessibility.
Woburn Station: Seismic strengthening of end-of-life station including new station upgrades and/or replacement.
Council depot and charging infrastructure implementation: Required for future bus growth, fleet electrification and competitive tending of bus services.
Regional Busways Programme: Funding to work with WCC, PCC and HCC to develop high frequency, bus prioritisation corridors including roading and traffic signal changes.
Queensgate Interchange: Improvements for Central Hutt Interchange for customer security and experience.
Route 110: Infrastructure change and improvements to enable higher capacity Electric Double Decker buses.
Riverlink: Melling station land purchase for new station site.
Driver facilities: Six additional toilets at key layovers across the city.
Buses Replacing Trains Infrastructure (BRT): Introduction of shelters, seating, lighting and roading changes at key bus stops used for train replacement services.
New bus stop facilities: Shelters, seating and directional signage for customer access and security.
Improving Network Accessibility: Including Infrastructure upgrades / changes to the most inaccessible bus stops and stations, navigation aids for the blind, driver accessibility training and audio announcements at all stations.
Total Mobility disability services: ‘Ride Wise’ system replacement of the end-of-life Total Mobility management systems and app.
Charge and Ride pilot: To allow EV vehicle drivers to charge their EV at Park and Ride facilities when they take the train.
New Metro rolling stock: Business casing, planning and early works for additional 'Matangi style trains' to increase frequency of train services.
National Ticketing Solution (NTS) regional upgrades: Using the NTS to leverage other Metlink booking and ticketing systems (e.g. park and ride, on demand, business targeted products etc).
Metlink technology programme: Modernising customer information and journey planning (e.g. apps, website improvements etc).
Park and Ride facility upgrades: Providing cycle parking facilities, roading changes, more spaces etc.
Rail Station Infrastructure Improvements: Basic improvements to stations across the network including signage, accessways and seating / lighting.
Porirua
New bus route: From between Cambourne, Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay.
Regional Busways Programme: Funding to work with WCC, PCC and HCC to develop high frequency, bus prioritisation corridors including roading and traffic signal changes.
Porirua Subway Ramps: Seismic strengthening of subway walls.
Porirua Bus Hub: New bus interchange infrastructure and accessways.
Buses Replacing Trains Infrastructure (BRT): Introduction of shelters, seating, lighting and roading changes at key bus stops used for train replacement services.
Council depot and charging infrastructure implementation: Required for future bus growth, fleet electrification and competitive tending of bus services.
New bus stop facilities: Shelters, seating and directional signage for customer access and security.
Improving Network Accessibility: Including Infrastructure upgrades / changes to the most inaccessible bus stops and stations, navigation aids for the blind, driver accessibility training and audio announcements at all stations.
Total Mobility disability services: ‘Ride Wise’ system replacement of the end-of-life Total Mobility management systems and app.
On-Demand: Future rollout of regional on demand services are now not expected to be continued. Funding for continued operations and maintenance of the Tawa app-based service under review.
New bus stop facilities: Shelters, seating and directional signage for customer access and security.
National Ticketing Solution (NTS) regional upgrades: Using the NTS to leverage other Metlink booking and ticketing systems (e.g. park and ride, on demand, business targeted products etc).
Metlink technology programme: Modernising customer information and journey planning (e.g. apps, website improvements etc).
New Metro rolling stock: Business casing, planning and early works for additional 'Matangi style trains' to increase frequency of train services.
Park and Ride facility upgrades: Providing cycle parking facilities, roading changes, more spaces etc.
Rail Station Infrastructure Improvements: Basic improvements to stations across the network including signage, accessways and seating/lighting.
Upper Hutt
Route 110: Infrastructure to enable higher capacity Electric Double Decker buses.
Buses Replacing Trains Infrastructure (BRT): Introduction of shelters, seating, lighting and roading changes at key bus stops used for train replacement services.
New bus stop facilities: Shelters, seating and directional signage for customer access and security.
Improving Network Accessibility: Including Infrastructure upgrades / changes to the most inaccessible bus stops and stations, navigation aids for the blind, driver accessibility training and audio announcements at all stations.
Total Mobility disability services: ‘Ride Wise’ system replacement of the end-of-life Total Mobility management systems and app.
New Metro rolling stock: Business casing, planning and early works for additional 'Matangi style trains' to increase frequency of train services.
Park and Ride facility upgrades: Providing cycle parking facilities, roading changes, more spaces etc.
National Ticketing Solution (NTS) regional upgrades: Using the NTS to leverage other Metlink booking and ticketing systems (e.g. park and ride, on demand, business targeted products etc).
Metlink technology programme: Modernising customer information and journey planning (e.g. apps, website improvements etc).
Rail Station Infrastructure Improvements: Basic improvements to stations across the network including signage, accessways and seating / lighting
Kāpiti Coast
Paraparaumu station building: Seismic upgrades and subsequent interior/exterior rebuild.
Buses Replacing Trains Infrastructure (BRT): Introduction of shelters, seating, lighting and roading changes at key bus stops used for train replacement services.
Improving Network Accessibility: Including Infrastructure upgrades / changes to the most inaccessible bus stops and stations, navigation aids for the blind, driver accessibility training and audio announcements at all stations.
Total Mobility disability services: ‘Ride Wise’ system replacement of the end-of-life Total Mobility management systems and app.
New bus stop facilities: Shelters, seating and directional signage for customer access and security.
New Metro rolling stock: Business casing, planning and early works for additional 'Matangi style trains' to increase frequency of train services.
National Ticketing Solution (NTS) regional upgrades: Using the NTS to leverage other Metlink booking and ticketing systems (e.g. park and ride, on demand, business targeted products etc).
Metlink technology programme: Modernising customer information and journey planning (e.g. apps, website improvements etc).
Park and Ride facility upgrades: Providing cycle parking facilities, roading changes, more spaces etc.
Rail Station Infrastructure Improvements: Basic improvements to stations across the network including signage, accessways and seating / lighting.
Wairarapa
Buses Replacing Trains Infrastructure (BRT): Introduction of shelters, seating, lighting and roading changes at key bus stops used for train replacement services.
New bus stop facilities: Shelters or signage for improved customer comfort, security, and way finding.
New Metro rolling stock: Business casing, planning and early works for additional 'Matangi style trains' to increase frequency of train services.
Improving Network Accessibility: Including Infrastructure upgrades / changes to the most inaccessible bus stops and stations, navigation aids for the blind, driver accessibility training and audio announcements at all stations.
Total Mobility disability services: ‘Ride Wise’ system replacement of the end-of-life Total Mobility management systems and app.
Park and Ride facility upgrades: Providing cycle parking facilities, roading changes, more spaces etc.
National Ticketing Solution (NTS) regional upgrades: Using the NTS to leverage other Metlink booking and ticketing systems (e.g. park and ride, on demand, business targeted products etc).
Metlink technology programme: Modernising customer information and journey planning (e.g. apps, website improvements etc).
Rail Station Infrastructure Improvements: Basic improvements to stations across the network including signage, accessways and seating / lighting.
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