Auckland Transport weathered the storm and doing its part for the Post Covid Recovery

The Auckland Transport 19/20 Annual Report is out from Auckland Transport. Despite Covid-19 disruptions – and a bit of prodding from the citizenry in terms of encouragement Auckland Transport got there with its delivery.

From Auckland Transport themselves:

Auckland Transport’s Annual Report released

Auckland Transport (AT) has just released its Annual Report and it shows some remarkable achievements, considering the impacts of COVID-19. 

They include the successful delivery of both an operating surplus and a record capital programme for the financial year ended 30 June 2020.

“COVID-19 had a dramatic impact on AT operations but AT was well prepared to meet the challenges and uncertainties posed by the pandemic,” says AT Chief Executive Shane Ellison.

“We established our crisis management team early and made some difficult decisions to ensure we continued to deliver quality services and value for money to Aucklanders.

“Our people showed agility, collaboration, leadership and resilience during the COVID-19 crisis. We analysed our organisation and projects, paused recruitment, deferred some activities, reviewed our contractor workforce and identified multiple ways to be more efficient and innovative. The AT Board, senior executives and more than 70 per cent of our people in leadership roles volunteered six-month remuneration reductions. We also implemented a number of cost reduction initiatives.”

AT closed approximately 160 construction sites during COVID-19 Alert Level 4, worked closely with infrastructure delivery partners to minimise delays and costs; and remobilise quickly and safely once restrictions were lifted.

A record $862.1m (or 95 per cent of AT’s $903m budgeted capital programme) was invested in new infrastructure and asset renewals.

Construction works are progressing well on the Downtown programme, Karangahape Road upgrade, The Eastern Busway, the Puhinui Station bus and train interchange; and multiple road and cycleway projects.

AT’s reported operating surplus for 2019/20 before tax was $760m, which is $28m favourable to the $733m budget.

Total revenue for the year was $2,082m against a budget of $2,034m; total expenditure was $1,322m against a budget of $1,302m.

AT’s net asset position is $21.1b.

• View the Auckland Transport 2020 Annual Report and video online at: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/reports-publications/annual-reports/

Well done to Auckland Transport in continuing to get things done even with Covid and the Emergency Goff Budget causing uncertainty. Projects like A2B, Tactical Urbanism in Manukau (with help from NZTA) etc continued while focus will turn to the 2021-2031 Long Term Plan to make sure we get things back on track.

Covid did provide a reset and together we can gear things towards our Post Covid future.

Again well done AT – and remember your allies are here to help.