- Hon Chris Bishop
- Hon Simeon Brown
The Government will invest funding to remove the level crossings in Takanini and Glen Innes and replace them with grade-separated crossings, to maximise the City Rail Link's ability to speed up journey times by rail and road and boost Auckland's productivity, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say.
"The City Rail Link (CRL) project is on track to open next year. It will transform travel across much of Auckland with shorter travel times and reductions in traffic congestion among the significant benefits Aucklanders can look forward to.
"Aucklanders will experience the CRL's full benefits of faster, easier journeys with the removal of level crossings, allowing more frequent trains to travel along these lines.
"Level crossings, where roads and train lines intersect, are universally loathed by drivers. Most of us know the sinking feeling of seeing the lights start flashing and the boom gates lowering to signal an approaching train and mentally calculating the delay you'll have to manage - after all, for truckies, tradies, couriers and many others on the roads, time is money and delays cost.
"These traffic delays mean level crossings require a direct trade-off between road-user efficiency and rail-user efficiency. One of CRL's huge benefits for Aucklanders will be more frequent trains, giving people a viable alternative to car travel.
"Level crossings are also a safety concern. At Auckland's level crossings in the decade between 2013 and 2023, Auckland saw almost 70 crashes, plus over 250 pedestrian near-misses and 100 vehicle near misses. That's almost one incident a week.
"Today we are pleased to announce that the Government will allocate up to $200 million for its share of funding to accelerate removal of the level crossings in Takanini and Glen Innes, which will include building three new grade-separated road bridges at Manuia Road, Taka Street, and Walters Road; constructing new station access bridges at Glen Innes, Te Mahia and Takanini Stations, and closing two unsafe crossings at Spartan Road and Manuroa Road."
"This is great news for Auckland and will unlock congestion across the city, and enable better flow of traffic," Mr Brown says.
"Once open next year, CRL will double Auckland's rail capacity and reduce congestion across the city, enabling Aucklanders to get to where they want to go faster.
"Auckland Council has indicated that it is willing to fund its share of the cost, so this announcement will provide Aucklanders with much-needed confidence that this programme of work will go ahead.
"The Government is committed to unlocking Auckland's traffic chokepoints, and one of the key ways we will do this is by removing level crossings."
Mayor Wayne Brown welcomed the government announcement.
"I've always been focused on getting Auckland moving. I made sure council's share of the funding was included in the Long-Term Plan, so it's great to see the government get on board and match the funding," says Mayor Brown.
"Level crossings was another problem left to me by the previous administration so it's fantastic the government and council can partner to get the work done and improve safety. This is about getting a good deal for Aucklanders and we're on track to do just that."
Note to editor:
The allocation of funding is subject to approval by the NZTA board, which is expected at the beginning of April.
The seven priority level crossings for removal are at Spartan Road, Manuroa road, Taka Street, Walters Road, Takaanini Station, Te Mahia Station, Glen Innes Station.
The intention is that enabling works for these level crossing removals will be completed around the time CRL opens.
