Is transport modelling junk science?
A great article on transport modelling did the rounds over the past couple of weeks, raising questions about how much reliance we put on these algorithms in our transport decision-making process. We have criticised transport modelling on many occasions over the years, especially in relation to the City Rail Link business case – where inadequate modelling probably led to the project being delayed for a number of years.…
56 Comments Weekly Roundup – 28-Aug-20
Here’s our weekly roundup COVID Level 2 from Monday
As Auckland moves back to COVID Level 2 there will be more people travelling and one difference this time around is that the government have mandated that masks be worn on public transport.…
Buying the Light Metro IP
An article last week in Stuff once again raised the issue of light rail and suggested the bid by NZ Infra, the collaboration between the NZ Superfund and their Canadian partners, was still on the table.
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund is still in the picture for Auckland’s light rail scheme, with a decision expected on what the new plan will look like scheduled for after the general election.…
The initial case for faster trains between Auckland and Hamilton
Te Huia, new train service between Auckland and Hamilton is now tentatively due to start in November, having been delayed by COVID-19. Though given the state of the Auckland rail network right now, I wonder if it would be better to wait till the work to fix it has been completed before launching.…
Lockdown extension and Mask Requirements on PT
As you will have undoubtedly seen by now, the current Level 3 lockdown in Auckland has been extended till Sunday and then Auckland will move to Level 2 from Monday – like the rest of the country.
Level 2 of course means that more businesses and activities can take place, though there are still conditions around distancing and the size of gatherings allowed.…
The CRL makes rail competitive off-peak
The growth of public transport in Auckland over the last 10-15 years (prior to COVID-19) has been impressive, having nearly doubled to over 103 million trips, although this was off a very low base.
As we’ve highlighted before, much of that growth has come from the Rapid Transit network of our rail lines and the Northern Busway. …
Weekly Roundup – 21-Aug-20
Here’s our wrap up for the week. Eastern Line shutdown
Following on from the news last week that Kiwirail would be slowing down the rail network to a maximum of 40km/h for six months while they replace worn rail. Yesterday they announced another step and that they would be shutting down the Eastern Line for two weeks from Monday.…
The things we should be copying from Sweden
With the re-emergence of COVID-19 in NZ we’ve once again seen some commentators calling for us to follow the Swedish model of letting the virus into the community in a bid for herd immunity. This has come about despite all the evidence so far pointing to them having achieved worse health and economic outcomes than those that have taken a more cautious approach, such as their neighbours and of course us.…
Conserving Aggregate
Road building delayed because governments ‘fail to plan for quarries’
This was the title of a Stuff article last month by Wayne Scott, the chief executive officer of the Aggregate & Quarry Association (AQA). He said:
politicians of all persuasions have paid only lip service to ensuring the rock, stone and sand which form the foundation for all infrastructure can actually be provided…
Transmission Gully’s delays and cost blowouts are the latest example.…
The $1.1b Rail Network Works
Just over a week ago, the government and Kiwirail officially kicked off about $1.1 billion of works to improve the rail network in Auckland. This work is on top of the $4.4 billion for the City Rail Link, and in some ways could be considered is about getting the network ready for a post CRL world.…
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