Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Major Auckland Transport Projects to Start Earlier

News government will assist major Auckland transport projects start earlier is a positive development says the EMA.

However, the pressure to deal with Auckland’s growth issues and unlock the city’s economic development potential has to be maintained says Kim Campbell, CEO, EMA.

“Auckland, and New Zealand, needs to see central and local government working together to deliver better outcomes for the country’s largest commercial centre,” says Mr Campbell.

In today’s “State of the Nation” speech, Prime Minister John Key outlined the Government’s commitment to a range of infrastructure initiatives.

“While today’s speech firmed up government’s willingness to support vital transport projects, we need to find other ways to harness global capital to allow future investment in infrastructure.

“This is vital if we want to continue building Auckland’s capability.”

The Prime Minister confirmed government considers the East-West Connection a project of national significance, and will streamline the consenting process to bring forward the start date on construction.

“This is good news for our road freight industry. It can’t come soon enough.

“We have advocated long and hard on behalf of our members to get traction on this project. We look forward to understanding the detail.

The Prime Minister also confirmed its funding for the main works component of the Central Rail Link, given the increasing demand for the service.

Mr Campbell says the work of Auckland Transport to grow patronage of the train network was commendable.

“The government’s threshold of 20 million users will be reached well before the expected 2020 date. Therefore the timetable for the completion of the business plan by the end of this year is excellent news for the development of downtown Auckland.”

ENDS

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