Tag: City Rail Link

Changes to the City Rail Link [updated with video from Auckland Transport]

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LGOMIA request to go in for Post-CRL Operational Plan

 

Bit of activity around the changes to the City Rail Link this morning in order to scale back costs.

From the Office of the Mayor

Mayor announces 20 percent cut in cost of City Rail Link

Auckland Mayor Len Brown has announced a significant reduction in the cost of the City Rail Link (CRL) from $2.86 billion to less than $2.4 billion lowering the price of Auckland’s number one transport infrastructure priority by about 20 per cent.

A significant part of that cost reduction is an Auckland Transport (AT) decision to redevelop the existing Mt Eden Station and connect it to the CRL rather than build a new underground station at Newton.

That design change will save more than $150 million, improve the reliability and journey time of train services, minimise construction disruption and reduce property purchase requirements.

The other significant saving is a decision that additional electric trains will not be required as part of the core CRL project, saving more than $330 million.

Len Brown says the ongoing review of the design and costs for the project shows we can get the CRL operational using the existing fleet. It is expected new units will be required for the CRL’s future developments, as the network expands.

“This is an exciting development and makes a 2016 start date for the construction of the CRL even more realistic, especially at a time when more and more people are choosing to get out of their cars and travel by rail*,” says Mayor Brown.

“Aucklanders are behind this, the business and investment community are behind this, we just need to get on and get it done.”

Mayor Brown said he expects more good news on the cost of the project to come as optimisation, value engineering and advances in tunnelling technology are taken into account.

*The year to June 2014 saw a 13.9% increase in Auckland rail patronage, to 11.4 million trips.

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More coverage can be seen at the following:

Auckland transport project overhauled

AT drops Newton Station for cheaper CRL

And from Todd Niall at Radio NZ this morning

The text version can be seen here: $500m cost cut in Auckland rail plans

 

More on this later today including sending in a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request on the post CRL operating plan

 

UPDATE: Auckland Transport has a video on the Mt Eden Station Changes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOhpTLaHFhQ

 

$75m offer for AT’s Downtown Car Park

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Should the Council take the money and invest?

 

I saw this come up from Stuff earlier this morning:

Council offered $75m for car park

ELLEN READ Last updated 09:00 06/06/2014

Auckland Council has been offered $75 million by two businessmen keen to snap up one of its inner city car park buildings.

James Brown and Simon Rowntree, who run Tournament Parking, said their offer for the multilevel 890-space Downtown building on Customs Street would give the council funds to fast track rail-link plans without having to consider selling two other high profile CBD sites.

Recent reports have suggested the council might sell a section of Queen Elizabeth Square and privatise sections of Queens Wharf.

Brown and Rowntree said the offer was unconditional. They visited council authorities this morning with a $7.5m deposit cheque this morning and said their proposed settlement date for the remaining $67.5m was July 1.

The Council has yet to respond to the offer.

The pair said they were prompted to make the offer after proposals were made to privatise inner city public space including Queen’s Wharf and Queen Elizabeth Square.

“The rail link is essential for Auckland but it’s wrong for the council to sell public space to fund it,” their spokesman said.

“This offer would keep Queen’s Wharf and Queen Elizabeth Square in public ownership while providing $75m cash to kick-start Mayor Len Brown’s vision for long-awaited first-world public transport.”

They say the $75m offer was a significant premium on the carpark’s value and included clauses preventing them from increasing casual parking rates, presently $3 an hour at the Council-owned site, above the rate of inflation for at least five years.

Tournament Parking casual rates for some Auckland sites are $4 for half an hour

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/10126538/Council-offered-75m-for-car-park

 

A rather interesting development this morning that no doubt will have Auckland Transport, Council, and the wider city debating over the offer and whether to accept it or not.

 

I suppose the questions I have over this offer would be the following:

  1. The CV of the site is at $65 million. So is $75 million a good offer or a bit of a bargain here
  2. Will Tournament who if successful in their offer redevelop the site according to the wishes of the City Centre Master Plan. If not then would it be better if Council via Auckland Transport (who currently own the site) to hang on to it
  3. Would the loss of income from the parking building be a detriment to Auckland Transport and Auckland Council on upcoming capital expenditure programs
  4. Does this need to go through the Auckland Transport Board and the main Council Governing Body before any cheques are accepted for the parking building.

 

We all await a reply from Council and Auckland Transport on the offer.