Auld Mug Defence 2021 = Opportunities
Major sporting events often are a catalyst to kick-start major urban development and the America’s Cup defence in 2021 will be no different. When we won the cup in 1995 the Viaduct Basin was transformed from an industrial dunger to an area of new residential, hospitality and civic spaces. It would be the major catalyst to spur the Wynyard Quarter redevelopment project that continues today.
So we as in Auckland are likely to hold the defence of the Auld Mug in 2021 – some four years away. Auckland does have the basics already in place but given recent population growth we are going to need some serious and rapid investment before the defence is held. Housing, hotels, transit, new hospitality spaces are all needed and done right would be planned for both the defence of the Auld Mug and beyond just as was done with the Viaduct in the first defence in 2000.
As I go through the list I will outline to big two fundamentals first that will influence urban development brought on by the defence of the Auld Mug.
City Rail Link
The City Rail Link will not be complete and operational until 2023. For those wanting to rely on the CRL I am afraid will be out of luck as if we can not speed the tunnel boring machine up the stations would take that long to complete. That said with the works already underway in Britomart hopefully that part of the CRL as well as the Commercial Bay mega tower will be all done by 2021. Speaking of which having the new Commercial Bay tower opposite Britomart open by 2021 with its multi-level mall would be a nice jewel to showcase when the America’s Cup defence is held out on the Waitemata Harbour.
Port of Auckland
The chances of Port moving within ten years let alone four years is about as good as us having a nuclear power station built in Auckland.
A report was compiled last year on relocating the Port. It had concluded that the Firth of Thames would be the most viable option OVER the long term and would require Central Government intervention. Essentially you are looking at a 50 year project with at least ten years of planning and getting the resource consents lined up.
This was from the presser last year into the report:
Port Future Study recommends pathway to move port be established
The independent Port Future Study’s Consensus Working Group has today released its final recommendations on a strategy to accommodate Auckland’s long-term freight and cruise.
After a twelve-month study, the 16 member Consensus Working Group (CWG) recommends that a port relocation option for freight be established and if that option is exercised then cruise should stay in the city centre.
The Study recommends the investigation of two areas that have potential for a large-scale port – the Manukau Harbour and on the western coast of the Firth of Thames. Further detailed investigation would be required before a specific area is decided.
This includes long-term engineering requirements, navigability, impact on land-side transport strategy, funding and ownership models, and proper consideration of Treaty of Waitangi settlement processes and mana whenua aspirations.
The group also recommends the regular monitoring of relocation triggers that would commit Auckland to executing a move of the port based on future growth and capacity demands or social, environmental, cultural and economic factors.
Chair of the independent Study, Dr Rick Boven says the diverse membership of the CWG and wider Reference Group brought different perspectives to the table but together a consensus view was reached.
“It’s been a complex exercise but we believe we have agreed on the best strategy to balance long-term economic, cultural, social and environmental outcomes.
“The Study has found that the existing port is likely to reach capacity in the long-term if freight and cruise demands continue on current projections and that other North Island ports are unlikely to be able to cope with all of Auckland’s long-term trade task alongside their own growth.
“Due to the planning and construction lead times involved, decisions regarding large impacts and high costs must be made soon in the face of significant uncertainties about the future”.
“The Port Future Study recognises that there is a need to secure sufficient berth length in the short-to-medium term to cope with the increase in multi-cargo volumes and ongoing growth in the size and the frequency of cruise ship visits.
“Subject to ensuring sufficient berth lengths and the confirmation of a location option, the port should not expand beyond its current footprint”, says Dr Boven.
—ends—
You can read the report and subsequent commentary here: https://voakl.net/2016/07/01/the-port-future-study-final-report-aklpols/
In answering a question where the goods go from Port of Auckland for distribution:
- Containers: Southdown and Wiri
- Bulk Liquids: Wiri
- Cars and general cargo: Mt Wellington and Wiri
- Dry Bulk: Depends but often Wiri or even Takanini
- General Goods: Southdown, Wiri and Airport
See how many times Wiri came up which is linked by rail and road.
So in moving the port you have to think of the logistic chain and disruption caused to both network. Something that can not be solved even with the Third Main overnight.
Downtown Auckland and the Waterfront
The defence of the Auld Mug will mean another round of urban regeneration along Downtown Auckland and Wynyard Quarter. Greater Auckland, and Simon Wilson from The Spinoff Auckland have both posted their ideas which you can read here and here: What the Team NZ win could mean for improving our city and 10 ways to make the most of hosting the America’s Cup.
Both have run the idea of humanising Quay Street by turning it from a car sewer to a people boulevard with light rail running down it and into Wynyard Quarter. That would be great as well as moving people between two major areas. The light rail can be later connected to LRT up Queen Street when that is built – apparently post CRL in 2023.
Where Greater Auckland and I will disagree is moving from Downtown Auckland to the Airport.
Airport Rail
If any project needed urgency Airport Rail would be it.
Seeing this on a near daily occurrence is not going to do our image any good at all no matter if we are defending the America’s Cup or any other time:
And who can forget this on State Highway 20A to the airport last summer:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/320905/truck-crashes-delay-traffic-to-auckland-airport
We have two proposals for Airport Rail. One is light rail from the Airport to the City Centre via SH20A, SH20 and Dominion Road while the other is Light Rail from the Airport to Manukau City Centre via SH20B and Puhinui Station.
Here are the options floated with both light and heavy rail:
Red = LRT proposal by Auckland Transport
Black = Heavy Rail Route proposal
Black dash = Via Mangere route to Airport instead of Onehunga
Yellow = LRT to Manukau as part of Botany Line
For more on the Botany Line or as it is now called the Southern Airport Line:
Source: Auckland Transport
And
My post on the Southern Airport Line:
The Southern Airport Line. Our Next Project After the City Rail Link
Southern Airport Line just makes sense
Before the Planning Committee started yesterday I was having a discussion with Orakei Ward Councillor Desley Simpson over what project should be next given the Government will be funding their contribution to the City Rail Link in their upcoming Budget. I stated that the Manukau to Airport via Puhinui Busway should be next off the rank given congestion issues to, from and within the Airport complex (this includes the industrial complex along State Highway 20A). My reasoning was that this Busway is easy and cheap to build (in comparison to other projects) and utilises existing transit lines very well such as the Southern and Eastern Lines (that also connect to the Western Line and the Northern Busway). This is remembering we are not just focusing on passengers at terminals but more so the workers.
In mentioning this I was asked to look at a more comprehensive package. So introducing the Southern Airport Line.
The Southern Airport Line
The Southern Airport Line takes its name from its two predecessors: the Botany Line and the current Bus Improvements (Airport – Manukau – Botany) so stated in the Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP).
Source: http://transportblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ATAP-Major-Transport-Projects-by-Decade-map.jpg
The Southern Airport Line would start as the bus connection from Manukau to the Airport via Puhinui Station (and be possibly funded from the proposed ATEED Levy (the wrongly called Bed Tax)) before being fully upgraded to Light Rail (forming part of a Light Rail network to the airport from both the City Centre via Dominion Road and of course Botany and Manukau in the South.) Now I will get to the ATEED Levy to help pay for stage one of the Southern Airport Line in a moment.
So again what we looking at here as the next project off the rank now that the City Rail Link is a go is the Southern Airport Line. The Southern Airport Line starts as a bus connection from Manukau to the Airport via Puhinui Station. Then in time the bus connection is then upgraded to a fully fledged light rail line no doubt in time to connect up with the Airport LRT Line to the City Centre via Dominion Road and a LRT line from Manukau Panmure via Botany. This in turn would give the South-East, the South-West, and the lower Isthmus a fully integrated Light Rail Transit system that connects to the heavy rail system and major bus hubs like Manukau Bus/Rail Station.
To me and Desley Simpson the Southern Airport Line starting as a bus connection then going to full Light Rail just makes sense especially as the next project off the rank post City Rail Link. The Southern Airport Line fulfils three key aspects lacking in transit to the Airport complex:
- Connecting Southern Auckland and Howick workers to the Airport whether via Puhinui Station if coming up on the rail line or via Manukau Bus Station if using local South Auckland busses or the bus from Botany
- Connections to the City Centre, Northern Busway or the Western Line via Puhinui and Britomart Stations on the Southern or Eastern Lines
- Tourist connections from the Airport to Puhinui Station to then either go north or south on the rail line or to Manukau Bus Station to link up with Inter City busses
Getting the Southern Airport Line off the ground would be a good quick win as the City continues to prepare for the Light Rail Line from the North (at least 10 years). With help of Central Government there is no reason to get the Southern Airport Line running by 2020.
ATEED Tax to fund it?
From the Airport to Botany via Puhinui and Manukau is $319m according to the ATAP document. Now I am going to assume given little development west of Manukau it would be $30 million for Puhinui Interchange (Manukau Bus Station is around ~$27m) and $100m for the busway from Puhinui to the Airport (Puhinui to Manukau would be 24/7 bus lanes). So $130m total. The ATEED Levy is meant to raise $28m/year and is designed to fund tourist and economic infrastructure in benefit of the City. Given the Southern Airport Line is a Capital Expenditure Project (CAPEX) it is funded by debt and repaid through the life of the asset. $28/m year on a very quick tourist and economic win that The Southern Airport Line is would repay that CAPEX in just 5 years. Given the busway is alongside SH20B NZTA could or rather should chip in as well lessening the cost on the ATEED levy. Councillor Simpson believes The Southern Airport Line would be a good project for the ATEED levy as a possible example.
I would call this a very smart investment of the levy to pay for a crucial piece of infrastructure post City Rail Link.
……..
Source: https://voakl.net/2017/05/03/the-southern-airport-line-our-next-project-after-the-city-rail-link/
Why I chose the Southern Airport Line over the via Dominion Road option came down to simple what works now and beyond the defence in 2021. By 2021 LRT from the City Centre would only get down Dominion Road but not to the Airport so you end up missing a critical link in moving people from the Airport to the City Centre. The LRT via Dominion Road route who as I have mentioned before does not solve (as it were) the commuter issue to and from the airport which comes from the South. In comparison you can get LRT from the Airport to Manukau City Centre (Manukau Bus and Rail Station) using Auckland Transport’s Option One complete by 2021 with the Airport to Puhinui Station stage done within two years (so 2019).
The beauty of the Southern Airport Line is it links up with two major interchanges: first the Southern and Eastern Lines at Puhinui Station allowing a two seat journey from the Airport to Britomart, the second being Manukau Bus Station that serves as the primary bus hub for Southern Auckland allowing feeder busses into both the Eastern Line and the Airport Line. Remember I am catering for both tourists AND commuters.
You will probably ask is LRT overkill on the Southern Airport Line and why not use Double Decker Busses seen else where? The route is not suited the double deckers nor is the type of patronage that the route would serve especially those with luggage. And while a double decker holds 144 passengers and a LRT unit around 400 I would go with the 400 right off the bat with a train every 15 minutes minimum. Again remember I am catering for commuters as well as tourists and inter city traffic.
Also the Puhinui Gateway industrial complex along SH20B has live Light Industry zoning per the Unitary Plan. That complex while fields for now will be the second major airport logistics warehousing complex similar to the existing one along SH20A. Logistics bases are land intensive and generate a lot of traffic both goods and people. NZTA are already preparing the case to widen SH20B to cater for this future growth. We might as well get light rail in alongside SH20B at the same time and chuck in a station to service the new complex. Remember and again I am looking at transit that services commuters, tourists and inter-city traffic. If that new industrial complex gets going rather soon we will be wishing for that transit line to avoid the mess that is currently SH20A!
Source: Auckland Transport
As Greater Auckland says build it and they will certainly come especially as the inter city benefits begin to pay off.
Speaking of inter city:
Puhinui Station in Need of Four Platforms
Station to become major interchange
Those who travel the Southern and Manukau Lines in Auckland wouldn’t think much of Puhinui Station. Puhinui current sits in between the larger Papatoetoe, Homai and Manukau Stations all which serve as interchanges in some form. While Puhinui Station serves as a transfer point between the Southern and Manukau Lines its role could be a whole lot bigger within the next decade.
Let’s take a look at Puhinui Station and the surrounds:
Puhinui sits prime on major transport routes to both Manukau City Centre and the Airport complex. There is also sufficient enough land belonging to Kiwi Rail to build a proper interchange at Puhinui Station with four platforms and an extra track free for freight trains to bypass the station. This is made possible with four mains and a loop running through the interchange site. Technically the Fourth Main (the Third Main on the left hand side would be kept clear for freight) would service Platform Three with an extra loop servicing Platform Four as demand allows but none the less we will need four Mains between Wiri and Otahuhu to get best use out of Puhinui Interchange.
The Four Platforms
This is how I have allocated the platforms at Puhinui:
As I noted earlier I have kept the Third Main on the airport side clear of any platforms to allow freight trains to run through the Interchange area unimpeded. The existing two Mains plus the Fourth Main take up Platforms 1-3 to service commuter, airport and inter-city patronage with an extra loop on the Manukau side forming Platform Four if demand ever warranted another platform (such as an inter city train heading south and keeping the other Mains clear given the extra loading time that might be needed).
The yellow is the interchange area while the grey is the bus line to and from the Airport remembering the interchange will need to be able to service Light Rail when the time comes to turn the Southern Airport Line from a bus-way to Light Rail Transit line.
How Puhinui Interchange will look in a wider context. The white lines are the two existing Mains with the black the Third and Fourth Mains in utilisation. You can see where the new platform along with a loop track goes keeping the Third Main entirely clear for freight trains. The Third Main also allows for the electric passenger trains to enter and leave the Wiri depot without impeding on the other three Mains.
This is how Puhinui Interchange would interact with Manukau Station and the Southern Airport Line from Manukau to the Airport. You will also notice that I have added the Manukau South Link back in there allowing services from Pukekohe and Papakura to Manukau directly without a transfer at Puhinui Station. With Puhinui Station set to be a major interchange handling commuter, inter-city and airport traffic, re-directing Manukau passengers away from Puhinui Station through a direct connection to Manukau from the South would ease loading pressures at Puhinui.
So the economics of the Manukau South Link do make a comeback with the Puhinui Interchange and the Southern Airport Line.
As for inter-city trains?
Call for Hamilton to Auckland commuters to get on board rail service
- Friday, 12 May 2017, 11:20AM
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED BY HAMILTON NEWS ON FRIDAY, MAY 5TH
Proponents for the establishment of a commuter rail service between Hamilton and Auckland will need to bridge political gaps and unite if the initiative is to gain traction, it emerged last Sunday.
Community group The Rail Opportunity Network (TRON) held a meeting earlier this month in the historic Frankton Hotel adjacent to the railway line the train would traverse as it left Hamilton heading for Auckland – if it came to be a reality.
TRON is a collective of people from a range of backgrounds who have all expressed ongoing interest in bringing the intercity train into operation.
Engineers, railway staff, politicians, tourism organisations and health and safety experts have all entered the ring in support of the service.
Susan Trodden, spokesperson for TRON, was among the key organisers of the discussion.
There was a large turnout, including members of the public, Hamilton business owners and numerous local political representatives.
“It’s quite important we have a good roundtable community discussion on this,” Hamilton city councillor Dave Macpherson said as he spoke on the discussion panel, emphasising that the train should not become party political.
“The growth in the Waikato, from Hamilton north to Tuakau, is phenomenal at the moment and is going to be phenomenal for some years to come.”
Macpherson noted expanding and upcoming residential developments in Pokeno, Mercer, Huntly and Te Kauwhata which he said would all increase the pressure on Stage Highway 1 and the need for a train service to those areas, which could double in benefit to link Hamilton with Auckland.
“A lot of the planners in this area and nationally are actually way behind the 8-ball there. We’re seeing figures coming forward from supposedly reputable planners to the Waikato District Health Board saying the population in Hamilton is only 147,000 at the moment – it was that seven or eight years ago,” Macpherson said.
……..
Full article and source: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/call-for-hamilton-to-auckland-commuters-to-get-on-board-rail-service/
The Tweet below also relevant:
If you want to move lots of people with little space,
the car will always be the loser
As for the Airport Southern Line?
In red as Option 1
Building Puhinui Station out to four platforms when the Southern Airport Line Puhinui Interchange is built makes sense to handle the varied mix of patronage coming through that station.
……
Source: https://voakl.net/2017/05/15/puhinui-station-in-need-of-four-platforms/
Remember I am building not only for the America’s Cup defence but also the future beyond the defence as well. Especially with Southern Auckland growing the second fastest behind the City Centre itself.
What about housing?
Another post at another time.
Major sporting events indeed spark major urban investment projects. The defence of the America’s Cup in 2021 will be no different. But the question remains can Government and Council work together and get it right?
Time will tell.
Talking Southern Auckland 
