Monday 4th April 2011

Emphatic Support For Rail On The New Harbour Crossing

The vast majority of Aucklanders want the proposed new harbour crossing to include rail, according to a poll released today by UMR Research.

- Of the n=241 Aucklanders surveyed, 79% favour the inclusion of rail lines.

- This is significant because both NZTA and the Government are currently treating rail as an option, rather than as an integral part of any new crossing (e.g. rail lines are not factored in to NZTA’s Cost Benefit Analysis comparing bridge and tunnel options).

Opinions are more divided on the choice between a bridge and a tunnel.

- 41% favour a tunnel while 38% prefer a bridge.

- The research was conducted after the different estimated costs for the two options were publicised.

The questions were asked as part of UMR Research’s late March nationwide omnibus, which is a nationally representative sample of n=750 New Zealanders aged 18 or over, of whom n=241 were in Auckland. Fieldwork was conducted from 24th to 27th March 2011. The margin of error for the sample of n=241 for a 50% figure at the ‘95% confidence level’ is ±6.3%. Although the moderate sample size means the results have to be treated with some caution, the balance in favour of rail is much greater than the margin of error.

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