There’s some interesting information in the answers to parliamentary written questions submitted by Mt Albert MP David Shearer on the roll-out of the Auckland electrification project over the next four years. They provide a year by year insight into what we can expect to see as this project proceeds between now and 2013.
First step, this year:
Question: What parts of the Auckland rail electrification project are anticipated to be completed throughout 2010?
Answer Text: KiwiRail has advised that in 2010 the first stage of the signalling will be completed, ten bridges will be raised or modified, and traction works will commence with the installation of mast foundations and the erection of masts.
So we can expect to see a pile of masts going up this year, which will be a good visible sign of progress on electrification. The raising or modifying of bridges is a pretty tricky and probably quite expensive part of the process of electrification, but it seems like this will be mainly completed by the end of this year.
Now for 2011:
Question: What parts of the Auckland rail electrification project are anticipated to be completed throughout 2011?
Answer Text: KiwiRail has advised that signalling will be nearing completion in 2011 and installation of masts and bridge clearance work will be ongoing.
It will certainly be a relief to have the signalling project completed. It might mean fewer than the 172 signalling failures experienced on the rail network in the past 12 months.
And 2012:
Question: What parts of the Auckland rail electrification project are anticipated to be completed throughout 2012?
Answer Text: KiwiRail has advised that ongoing installation of masts and overhead wires and final clearance works and signalling will be undertaken in 2012.
So by the end of 2012 most of the physical infrastructure works should be completed. That’s good news.
And finally, 2013:
Question: What parts of the Auckland rail electrification project are anticipated to be completed throughout 2013?
Answer Text: KiwiRail has advised that in 2013 work on rail electrification will include final installations of masts and overhead wires, and arrival of the first tranche of electric multiple units.
This one actually raises more questions than it answers. Only the first tranche of electric multiple units will be arriving in 2013? How many will that entail? When are the rest arriving?
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Gah! The more visible electrification becomes the more my chances of buying a house on the Western Line before prices shoot up evaporates…
Slight conflict of interest there in promoting electrification Lucy?
I don’t know your situation but I know of a few good houses for sale near the western line. Some decent priced ones as well being new brick and tile houses
2013 for the first EMU’s arriving is going to be a push. Wellington called for tenders in December 2006, tender was awarded July 2007. The first lot will be arriving about mid year. Thats over 3.5 years. Assuming similar timeframes for Auckland the tender needs to be sent out by mid year if they EMU’s are to start arriving in 2013.
If tender were sent out midyear this year and followed the same timeframe that means we would get the first trains in early 2014… Which is what I expect will happen…
Hey, that means only three-to-five more years of putting band aids on our existing trains, like this morning on the Western Line. Maybe they should be collecting donations for all the extra maintenance they will need until then.
Actually, in terms of political results, I am not sure how this will pan out. I personally believe that there’s a good chance that National will win in 2011, but lose in 2014. If the trains aren’t really getting to roll until 2014, will that help or hurt them? I.e. will they be losing votes because they are seen as dragging out / having dragged out better PT for Auckland, or will they get some extra votes because the new shiny trains roll out big time in the election year?
Well the election will probably be late 2014 so they will probably want them to roll out all year…
I doubt Auckland electric trains will be much of a dealbreaker in the wider scheme of a national election around 2014.
It won’t even be a consideration for many Aucklanders…..
Depends. We might be having quite high fuel prices by then. If National is able to point to the shiny new trains to distract from the fact that they themselves have been the biggest road block to changing our transport system (have in fact made it worse from a car dependency point), that would be a huge and dangerous irony.
Are the points being upgraded as part of the signalling? If so hopefully many of those faults will disappear
Also why is it taking 3 years to put up the poles, surely this could be done faster, the network isn’t that big, of course it doesn’t matter much if there aren’t any trains to run on it.
I doubt that electrification will be a huge election issue, although if it’s STILL not operational by the end of 2014 I imagine some serious questions will need to be asked.
Matt, I’m not sure about the points upgrades.
ingolfson – by 2014, Electrification will have been completed, there will be numerous shiny new stations, a couple of new spur-lines (Onehunga/Manukau), and the first electric trains will be hitting the lines. Perecption-wise, Auckland rail will be in a better position than when they took over. Whether its due to them and is occurring at the right pace will largely be a moot point if, as you say, PT is a major issue on peoples minds.
At the end of the day, trains (electric or diesel) will be running on an improved system. Both are PT, both better for traffic, both more environmentally friendly than everyone taking their gas-guzzler to work.
The truth is, no-one outside of Auckland is going to give a toss come election time. And in the context of the above, I think its unlikely many people – at least enough in each of the different Auckland electorates – will switch their vote away from National because the train they take is diesel, when next year it will be electric.
As a pro-PT person, I am not deluding myself that the timing of electric trains – 2013 or 2014 – will have an influence on a national election
“The truth is, no-one outside of Auckland is going to give a toss come election time.”
Eh? So what – Auckland has a huge part of the national electorate. And you only need a few percentage points to swing an election, not everyone.
“And in the context of the above, I think its unlikely many people – at least enough in each of the different Auckland electorates – will switch their vote away from National”
Of course they won’t put up their “I’m voting against them because they are dragging their feet on the trains” hats. But together with other matters like the supercity bill, National are in the process of massively pissing off a good portion of the Auckland electorate. Often, it doesn’t even matter whether you CHANGE people’s opinions, i.e. have a former National voter suddenly switch to Labour or so. All you need is to do is screw something up enough so that those who would have voted against you anyway actually get up on election day and vote, when otherwise they might have stayed home.