Mayor Floats his own Botany Line – Light Rail Idea
This Tweet caught my attention last night after dinner:
Something about a light rail system in Southern Auckland? Well it seems Mayor Len Brown has been thinking of such a concept, enough so it cropped up in yesterday’s Manukau Courier.
From Stuff
Public transport could get another boost if mayor Len Brown’s light rail loop for Manukau gets the green light.
“We want to run light rail from Manukau up through Clover Park, all along Te Irirangi Drive, up to Highland Park, up Panmure Highway and back to Manukau,” he says.
“The idea of getting mass transit into suburban areas is to give commuters flexibility.
“The key thing about running rail down Te Irirangi Drive is that people already complain about the traffic lights holding them up.
“The trains would run down the median strip in the road and they would take priority over cars.”
Light rail costs about an eighth as much as heavy rail to install, he says.
The trains would have a tighter turning circle and carry fewer people than the city’s new electric trains.
“Right now they are in the investigation stage. We really want to do a loop like that in Sydney.”
Brown is keen to get the project done quickly but says there are still many unknowns so no cost has been given.
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Just a note I believe the Mayor means back down Pakuranga Highway from Highland Park before looping back towards Botany and Te Irirangi Drive via Te Rakau Drive. Or the Mayor does plan for this light rail loop to connect to Panmure Transport Interchange?
Now I know Te Irirangi Drive is designed to take either light or heavy rail from Manukau City Centre to Botany (Metropolitan Centre) through its wide grass median. But for the rest of the Mayor’s light rail proposal – I wonder if Mayor Len Brown was reading my Botany Line Sky Train concept previously written in this blog.
A brief recap on the Botany Line Sky Train concept:
The Botany Line Sky Train
Time to Link the Eastern Suburbs, Airport and South Auckland up with a quality Light Rail Transit System
Since the Botany (heavy rail) Line got bottled along with the Eastern Highway when John Banks was defeated in 2004, as well as a heavy rail option from Manukau to the Airport now ruled out (junction issues at Wiri) I have been wondering how can we revive the Botany Line.
The answer: a Vancouver styled Light Rail Transit – Sky Train system!
This is where the Botany Line (working name) would be built in linking up the Eastern Suburbs, Manukau and the Airport together:
Click for full resolution
The total line is about 30,645 metres (30.65km) or 25,220 metres (25.2km) without the Manukau Loop. The line is divided into four sections each built progressively over time as demand and finances allow it. The four sections being (and in order of construction):
- Airport – Manukau City Centre section (Yellow Line)
- Manukau City Centre – Botany Metropolitan Centre section (Blue Line)
- Botany MC – Panmure Interchange section (Red Line)
- Manukau Loop (White/grey dash line)
To add further flexibility and reach the Manukau South Rail Link would also be built to allow direct Pukekohe/Papakura – Manukau Station services with the new EMUs.
The Botany Line sky train would be built in four stages listed above over a set amount of time. To keep the line away from ground traffic the entire line and stations would be elevated. This would mean incorporating future connections and urban design of the buildings surrounding the line/stations rather than the stand alone stations we see with most of our heavy rail system.
The depot would be located in what is currently Greenfields just west of the existing Wiri industrial complex. It is of note though that particular area is undergoing a zone change with the area to be flipped from rural to medium or heavy industrial land (which is sorely needed down here any how). So if this Botany Sky Train Line is a go we would have to future proof the yellow section of the line for both the line and any stations plus the depot.
As for stations I have not placed them in yet but will do so in the near future if and when the Sky Train concept gains traction. The idea has been presented twice – in both the May and November Manukau Presentations. Rolling stock wise I would see no issue asking CAF (the builders of our new EMU’s) to adapt the EMU model for elevated light rail running. Like the heavy rail EMU trains on their way to Auckland you should be able to run a single or double consist together with capacity topping out at the 750 passenger mark. Unlike our heavy rail EMU’s these Sky Train EMU’s would be fully automatic (meaning driver-less) not having to worry about freight trains.
Frequency, timetable and potential amount of passengers carried is something I will work on at a later date. But I suspect the Sky Train will be pretty popular along its entire route.
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The Botany Line Sky Train in Relation to Transport Blog’s Congestion Free Network
As we know Transport Blog and Generation Zero have been lobbying hard for their Congestion Free Network across Auckland. You can see the CFN here with the potential map below:
Source: http://transportblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/CFN_4_SMALL.jpg
The CFN plans to have buses serving what would be the Botany Sky Train Line and also makes no relation to the Manukau South Rail Link.
Owing to the growth that is coming down towards Southern Auckland and weighing in also consequences of Golden Banana planning (meaning Manukau and Albany step up even further as major centres) I have gone one step further and brought forward the elevated light rail transit system in what the CFN has planned out.
We know elevated rail will have its own right of way and never be interfered with by ground level traffic. Further more at anywhere between 375-750 passenger potential movements per train every 10 minutes on the sky train concept, the system would carry at best 1000% more potential passengers more efficiently and quickly (moving at 110-120km/h) than a 72-seater bus trundling along the roads.
I have already mentioned in earlier posts the benefits of the Manukau South Link and what it allows via running 20 minute frequency services between Manukau and Papakura/Pukekohe.
While the South Link should be built and in operation by 2016, the sectional nature of the sky train system means we can build it stage by stage over a say 20 year period (if not faster if you wanted to go the whole hog quickly).
The Manukau South Link and Botany Line Sky Train concepts future proof rapid mass transit systems for Southern Auckland for the next 100 years as the area undergoes significant growth.
So it might be time for Auckland Council and Auckland Transport to undertake a comprehensive study to get this project off the ground rather soon.
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Source: https://voakl.net/2013/12/10/the-botany-line-sky-train/
“So it might be time for Auckland Council and Auckland Transport to undertake a comprehensive study to get this project off the ground rather soon.” Okay so the Mayor’s Office might have had a read up on the Botany Sky Train Line he might have not in the same regards.
None-the-less the investigation of the concept so decisions can be made in the future around the southern light rail idea is a good start. It will be interesting to see what an investigation brings up especially in benefits and costs in due course.
This will not be the first time we will hear about the light rail concept for the South either. But I do agree with Councillor Brewer in that can we get the bus infrastructure up to par first before the light rail concept in the south. That said the New Bus Networks are going through the hoops and will start roll out next year (South going first after earlier consultation with Auckland Transport).
Talking Southern Auckland 