$3.3b funding but brakes still on city’s transport

Saturday, 14 September 2024

Prior to the election, National's transport spokesperson Chris Bishop said he would support extending the Melling Line.

ANALYSIS: If you want to understand how difficult it is to build major roads in Wellington, check out a video by MP Chris Bishop from just before the last election.

Bishop, who subsequently won the Hutt South seat, speaks supportively of the Melling Interchange which Labour had announced with a $700m budget, for a project that was then known as RiverLink.

Bishop promised that “the next National Government” would “seriously investigate” extending the Melling Line north.

Fast forward one year and the much talked about Melling Interchange is bogged down at the design stage and, due to a lack of funding, the future of the Melling train line is now uncertain with Greater Wellington suggesting it might be closed.

Various dates to start the interchange, on State Highway 2, have come and gone over the past three years.

National promised a second Mt Vic tunnel in its first year in office. Instead it agreed to fund further design work and its consenting.

The significance of the Melling Interchange is that it was the only major roading project announced recently by Transport Minister Simeon Brown, in the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme, on which construction might start in the next three years.

Brown said $3.3b ‒ 10% of the money allocated nationally ‒ would increase productivity and reduce travel times in the Wellington region.

“Delivering infrastructure to increase productivity and economic growth is a priority for our Government. We're focused on delivering transport projects in Wellington that deliver reliability for commuters, benefit businesses, and support economic growth.”

The package, Brown said, would “accelerate” the Wellington economy. But will it?

Government promises more than $30b to deliver on transport goals

Take a closer look and you see it actually contains very little that could be called new.

The only major roading project that could see shovels in the ground by 2027 is the Melling Interchange, first announced by Labour with a $700m budget that always appeared insufficient.

Although Brown announced the interchange would go ahead, a key component, a new pedestrian bridge over the Hutt River to a newly relocated Melling station, is unfunded.

That resulted in Greater Wellington saying that the commuter line, which serves the Western Hills and central Hutt could, instead of being extended north as favoured by Bishop, close.

So what about the other roading projects mentioned in the plan.

The much talked about second Mt Vic tunnel and Basin Reserve upgrade gets funding for more design work and consenting.

In September 2023 Bishop, who was then National’s Infrastructure spokesperson, said that once elected National would fast track the consent project for the tunnel and construction would begin in their first term.

“The time for debate and discussions is over. It’s time to start building it,” he said.

Although two Roads of National Significance, the Petone to Grenada Link Road and Cross Valley Link in Petone, get a mention in the NLTP it was for work to “progress” both projects.

Extra funding for the Petone Ngauranga shared path and seawall was included in the National Land Transport Programme.

The New Zealand Land Transport Agency Waka Kotahi announced in 2018, that a Petone to Grenada Link Road was too expensive and difficult to build. Although it said a business plan was required, nothing had happened since.

Brown’s plan included $802m for new trains to run from Palmerston North and Masterton.

While that might sound good, it was the third time the trains had been announced – once by Labour and now twice by the current government.

When Brown was asked how much “new” money was included in the plan, in a written statement he reiterated earlier comments.

“I’m focused on what the Wellington region can actually deliver over the next three years, and ensuring that funding is targeted towards priority projects, services, and maintaining our roads to the standard that Kiwis expect.”

He did, however, acknowledge that some of the projects were not new.

“While the previous government might have announced initiatives, such as the Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility project for new trains and infrastructure upgrades on the Wairarapa and Palmerston North lines, this Government is actually delivering.”

Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter predicts an uncertain future for the region’s train and bus infrastructure, which he says is in urgent need of investment.

It is not only Wellington that has missed out on new funding. Greater Auckland, a ginger group established in 2015 to provide evidence-based commentary and encourage informed debate on transport and urban form issues, concluded that most of the money was going on a few large roading projects.

“In Auckland it appears that there are basically no new local projects at all. Just a bunch of further business cases on major projects that are years away from being good-to-go.”

Greater Auckland noted that for cycling and walking in Wellington, the budget had been cut in half.

“It seems most of what remains will be for just finishing projects that are already underway, like completing the Ngauranga to Petone project – which, lest we forget, is largely a seawall to protect the motorway and rail line that just happens to have a cycleway on top.”

Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter said the NLTP was bad news for Wellington, especially for commuters relying on trains and buses.

Very little new money was included in the plan and Wellington’s trains needed a massive investment in infrastructure to keep running.

Most of the public transport projects in the plan, had already been announced, he said.

He confirmed that if the Government did not properly fund the Melling Interchange and an associated pedestrian bridge, Greater Wellington would look at closing the Melling line.

Without adequate funding for trains and buses, he said the associated infrastructure would soon resemble Wellington’s crumbling water network.

Brown said resources were limited and the Government had to look at the bigger picture.

“While the NLTP delivers record investment into Wellington’s public transport network, our Government is focused on delivering for all New Zealanders. This includes bus priority improvements in Hamilton, bus priority along Dunedin’s Princes Street, and bus service improvements in Palmerston North.”