Well, it’s the last day of the year, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make a greater Tāmaki Makaurau.
A reminder: Greater Auckland is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join our circle of supporters here, or support us on Substack!
The overarching theme this year has been the flow-on effects from the change in government in late 2023. Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been particularly active, becoming inappropriately involved in hands-on management of the minutest details of projects around the motu – all to fuel his culture war. In many ways, this also become a war on Auckland which risks undermining many of the region’s longstanding transport plans and community aspirations.
In tangible terms, this meant the biggest rollback of climate-friendly and badly needed safety projects in Auckland (and the rest of New Zealand), with active modes and public transport falling to the wayside in favour of a push for roads and motorway mega-projects. This, in spite of strong support from local communities for improving access to – and quality of – walking, cycling and public transport. This is reflected in many of the categories below.
Public Transport
Ridership recovery stalls
After the ups and downs of early COVID-19 and the resulting changes in working patterns, the recovery of public transport ridership has continued – but at a much slower pace than we might have hoped. For the 12 months to the end of November, there were just over 89 million boardings in Auckland – compared to 78.2 million for the same period to November 2023.
That’s a 13% increase, which is good, but is still 86% of ridership before COVID-19 appeared on the scene.
What concerns me is that we seem to be stuck at about that 86% level. What will it take to see the recovery move into the high 80’s or even early 90 per cent range?
Nor has the recovery of public transport usage been evenly spread. Buses are doing the best, sitting at 93%, with ferries at 79%. However, trains are continuing to suffer from ongoing works on the rail network, and due to having more commuter-centric trips focused on the central city. As such, passenger rail ridership is only at 64% of pre-COVID levels.
One piece of good news for ridership is the Western Express, which turned one in November and did so in style. Travel on the WX1 and the other routes in the Northwest have surpassed predictions, with ridership up 45 per cent on what was originally expected by Auckland Transport.
Crosstown Bus Changes
The growth in bus ridership is likely to continue too, as in November AT went live with changes to crosstown bus services, including among other things, breaking up the Outer Link.
Rail upgrades – and faults
The first part of the year saw significant disruption on therail network from regular faults, further dampening trust in a network that was already hurting from years of disruption to get ready for the City Rail Link. Unfortunately, this is likely to continue in the coming year, with Kiwirail talking about needing to complete a decade worth’s of work in 18 months.
The City Rail Link continues to make progress, with tunnels and stations almost ready for the first test train – that was originally meant to be running this year, but will now be done early 2025.
The Papakura to Pukekohe electrification was completed this year but, as I predicted at the start of the year, trains haven’t started using it yet. This is because Kiwirail then decided to undertake the Rail Network Rebuild for this section of the network – something they surely should have done during the two years the line was closed. In turn, this means electric passenger trains won’t start running to Pukekohe till early February.
Farebox recovery policies
Late in the year, the government suggested new targets for the percentage of PT costs covered by passenger fares, which could see fares in some regions increase by up to 70% (or significant cuts to services to make up the gap).
Announced prior to this were Auckland’s 2025 PT fare increases, which will see fares rise by an average of 5.2%. This comes into effect from February 9.
Long awaited HOP upgrade – pay as you go
In November 2024, AT finally launched the ability to tag on to public transport directly with a credit/debit card – which has already been popular.
A rough year for active modes – the war on the most economical ways of getting around
It’s been a very challenging year for active modes. The self-described “back to basics” government, helped by major media outlets, ran with a full-frontal assault on the kinds of infrastructure that makes life better for those not in cars (and those in cars too).
In particular, the minister has cavalierly slashed funding for safe and connected bike networks, crossings that are better for all ages and abilities, bus shelters and pavement improvements and multi-modal street improvements that enable more people to use more kinds of transport without adding to congestion.
Still, some progress has been made, especially in the Inner West where the Pt Chevalier to Westmere improvements are really starting to come together and are looking fantastic – some of the “after” images look like computer-generated renders! We also have confirmation, finally, that the Great North Rd improvements will start soon too.
And, Auckland Transport has some other projects on the go, including tactical cycleways in Māngere West and road renewals through Grey Lynn, that will help fill existing gaps and deliver on local wishes. The real legacy of Simeon Brown’s smackdown on kid-friendly infrastructure willl become clearer as the current pipeline runs out.
Roads
RoNS
The government’s official transport policy has focused much of the attention and funding towards a bunch of massive mega-motorway projects. It remains to be seen how they’ll be able to afford them all, especially in light of the most recent costings which are billions more than National had planned for.
Tolling and Congestion Pricing
Late in the year, the government announced that three roads under construction (or about to begin) would become toll roads. These are:
- Penlink (reconfirming the previous government’s decision)
- Takitimu North Link in Tauranga
- and Ōtaki to north of Levin.
However, far from being a big source of funding, the tolls are only likely to cover a very small percentage of the overall cost of these projects.
Government also announced that congestion pricing would progress – but with central government leading the design and having control over the system. While confirmation it will happen is good, the changes also feel like a delaying tactic to push out any implementation until after the next election.
Safe Speed Reversals
Minister of Transport Simeon Brown charged ahead with his dream of reversing the widespread programme of nuanced, locally led and evidence-based speed limit changes. He did so despite massive – and high-profile – pushback from international experts, local authorities, and communities around the motu.
It has been a national shame to see politicians caring more about drumming up culture war issues than the outcomes for the people whose wellbeing they’re charged with. Expect to see the road toll begin to creep back up in the next few years, with each and every injury or fatality likely to be put at the feet of this government and this Transport Minister.
Safety
Coupled with his blanket top-down increase in speed limits (which included ruling out 30 km/h as an available speed for cities, contrary to all best practice and international trends), Simeon Brown has gone after highly local safe infrastructure, like speed bumps, raised crossings, and bike lanes. With lethal precision, he has halted projects in their tracks and directly attacked these specific elements. This is regardless of what local communities want – including National voter strongholds, as for example the infamous Hill Street intersection in Warkworth.
The impacts of the previous government’s focus on safety, including safer speed limits, was just starting to bear fruit too, with the number of deaths on our roads dropping significantly in 2024 compared to recent years. We are likely to end the year with fewer than 300 deaths for the first time since 2014.
Other Stuff
Auckland Transport to change (as we know it)
Earlier this month the government announced that Auckland Transport would be split up with the planning and policy functions shifting to Auckland Council as well as a few other changes. This is something that will play out throughout 2025 as the government pass this through legislation and we learn the final form of the transport landscape in the region.
Building Consents
The number of building consents issued in Auckland continued to fall throughout most 2024 as the economy weakened and the government stopped most of the Kāinga Ora building programme. There was a slight upwards tick in the last few months, but it remains to be seen if this is the start of a new trend or just a bump along the way.
Stadium Debate
The latest iteration of the debate around a new stadium continued though 2024: Auckland Council narrowed the options in their current bid process down to just two, an upgraded Eden Park and Te Tōangaroa, a new station above Quay Park. Both proposals are currently going though feasibility studies and we’re likely to hear a lot more about them in 2025.
Wynyard Peninsula
In late 2024, concept plans were released for Te Ara Tukutuku, the headland park planned for the northern end of Wynyard Point – and they look fantastic.
Most-Read Posts
It’s been another big year on the blog, with over 200 posts published thanks to a growing range of contributors. Here are our top 10 most viewed posts for the year.
- Auckland Harbour Bridge is collapsing*
- NZ Government announces ban on walking
- Should we build a bridge or tunnel across Cook Strait?
- Minister ignored widespread concern about GPS
- Nine public transit lessons from Perth
- What’s happening with Airport to Botany
- The Government’s Ideological Transport Policy
- Auckland to see biggest PT improvements in six years
- In Defence of Kāinga Ora
- How the Northwest was lost and may be won
The top three posts for 2024 are also our top three most viewed posts of all time, with the first one (a satirical spin on climate action) gaining more than double the number of views of number two on the list, also a satirical take on this government.
There’s so much more we could have included here. What were your local highlights of 2024?
Lastly, a note of cheer as we head into the new year. While 2024 has been a bit of a handbrake for good urban and transport policy in Auckland, it’s also true we are now seeing the real and tangible benefits of progress our city has made over the longer term. Governments (and policies) come and go, but a vision of a greater Auckland endures – and so onwards we roll into 2025.
This will be our last post for the year, so once again thanks for reading and supporting us. Meri Kirihimete, have a happy and safe break, and best wishes for the New Year.
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“This is because Kiwirail then decided to undertake the Rail Network Rebuild for this section of the network – something they surely should have done during the two years the line was closed.”
I guess the informed comments provided previously are either forgotten or missed, so the same old inaccurate uninformed critiques come up again.
I don’t think they appreciate limited resources can’t be everywhere at once
Here is what I saw on Saturday and they doing a great job which would not have happened with a 4hr nightly shutdown
It’s a great pity that a fourth track isn’t going in at the same time. This will need to happen soon, but no-one wants to provide the money to do it once, properly. Instead we have two separate projects; a more disruptive, more expensive and less resilient approach than building it correctly.
I saw them on a Monday and my heart stood still,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS
The Roads of National Significance and their multi billion dollar bill,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS
Yeah, my heart stood still,
Yes, when I saw that bill,
You’ll be calling “hold the tar” when you see the BCR,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS
I saw what they were doing and I went “oh yikes”,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS
Paying for the roads by under-funding trains and bikes,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS
Yeah, I went “oh yikes”,
Yes, where can we ride our bikes?
Wear fluorescent clothing when you go on hikes,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS
We disapprove of highways but we love them too,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS
There’s nothing quite like tarmac when it’s shiny and new,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS
Yeah, I went for a drive,
Yes, it feels great to be alive,
And it nearly shaved a minute off the time to arrive,
Da doo RONS RONS RONS, da do RONS RONS.
Happy New Year. Keep up the great work!
Comment of the year. I was bouncing my hands while I sung it.
Did a trip on the Southern and eastern Line Christmas Eve an Day and saw Kiwi Rails setup at different Sites , and here is what I saw ;-
And here is my Christmas Day trip on both the Southern and Western Lines , and I had a 16min wait for the connection at Newmarket , as all services were running an Hourly timetable ;-
A mild dressing down for not featuring the survival of Te Huia – against all odds!
Especially as a big problem is the perception of it being a service for Waikato and not for Auckland. And of course it is both, and more.
We must continue to support the conditions (third main, new stations, faith in operation, bi-modes into Britomart, new rail boom with CRL) – which will give it better chances of survival.
AT have the Onehuga service running from Newmarket to the Strand , why not certain times of the Day run trains on that service to meet the Train for those that need it , As there are some that catch Te Huia walk from the Parnell Station to the Strand , and it could also bring in some extra cash for AT , but then again AT don’t like the Te Huia running through the Network which they only rent from KR because it slows down their cancelled Trains .
I do believe The Strand should have permanent AT trains stop there – and have a ton of development, in addition to hosting Te Huia and the sleeper. There is room for plenty more, while it is all diesel.
Kinda like East Perth. And it would help to extend the CBD that way too.
It would have direct trains into the CRL and be another inner metro stop. Easy.
And did I mention build a ton of housing? Or uni housing? Commercial? Hotels?
@Space – other than HOP use, the rest is slightly parochial thinking, peak flows will always exist for schedule bias but it is still very usable in the counter directions. Maybe AKL contributing financially would be skin in the game, and influence – inc timetabling – chicken and egg huh.
As an aside, I am hoping for the Quay park stadium proposal to be approved (over Eden Park) because along with regeneration of that area, we should see a “Stadium” stop at The Strand.
It would be a stop on the Western-Eastern line (post-CRL opening) as well as the termination point for regional trains.
How does the Onehunga empty service from Newmarket to the Strand and back not clash with Te Huia or the Wellington train. Maybe there
is signaling that allows for it. If so it would seem a pity not to use it for passengers. Everything will change when the CRL starts though that’s if it works as planned.
Well go to the Strand and all will become clear.Hint:it uses a different track to The Huia and the Northern Explorer.
It just isn’t designed for Aucklanders though. If it was, they would have trains, AT hop cards and a friendlier system towards Auckland.
Obviously the Waikato government have designed the system towards this and Aucklanders are just a small bonus to ridership for them
That’s not true. It’s not Waikato’s fault, but Auckland’s.
Waikato Regional Council would LIKE to integrate Te Huia better with Auckland Transport, but AT won’t play ball. There are all kinds of opportunities, including integrated ticketing and having more services to enable early trips from Auckland to Wellington, but AT isn’t interested. It’s all part of two grand Kiwi traditions:
1) Thinking for the short term
2) Refusing to invest any money
Te Huia is Waikato-centric because Waikato is the only region that supports inter-regional rail in the upper North Island. If AT could be more supportive, we’d have a better service for both regions.
But I find it strange that the WRC focus is on getting people to Auckland (and back) when Te Huia could be used to get people from Northern Waikato towns into Hamilton central and back each day. Surely there are more people wanting the latter, and the ability to provide more frequent services?
A service via Pukekohe, terminating at Puhinui, would allow transfers to the Auckland metro service for those going north, as well as the Airport Bus. Meanwhile, the northern Waikato corridor between Pokeno and Hamilton Central, is serviced several times a day.
It probably comes down to numbers and forecasting. Hamilton has the largest number of potential passengers because it’s the biggest city in the Waikato. The business case would have been based on these numbers.
Connections from the Northern Waikato towns into central Hamilton would still make sense, particularly if the stations could be opened inexpensively (e.g. Tuakau, Pōkeno, Te Kauwhata, Ngāruawāhia) and if services connected with AT services via a cross-platform interchange at Pukekohe.
For every town you add, the service gets slower/longer and you’ll start to lose patrons to the car. Thats the issue I see. Its why it should have been done in reverse, I think.
I still think a direct, end-to-end service in under 2hrs should be the goal. But servicing Waikato first – with a transfer once in the South of Auckland – would have killed two birds with one stone. And bums on seats in the Waikato leg must surely help reduce the subsidies overall.
One thing for sure is there is plenty of potential to improve this service incrementally. Stations, speed (track straightening and improving etc), frequency & span, bi/tri/mode rolling stock to allow Britomart terminus. What’s up with the upgraded underground Hamilton Central station?
In reality there should be two services at two prices points:
1. A limited stops, quicker service costing more finishing at Britomart
And
2. An all stops service that’s slow but cheaper to use finishing at the Strand.
Doing the above caters for business, local, tourist and student riders and is the norm across Europe.
Given that there are multiple bus services between Auckland and Hamilton each day, what is the reason for adding the train service?
These buses take a variable amount of time depending on traffic and there is little scope to make significant improvements to this.
In contrast there is endless scope for improving train services, with a growing population we’ve got to start somewhere.
Given there are bus services from most Auckland suburbs to the CBD, why do we even need trains?
This is a decades debunked strawman. It’s not the same, the world over.
And there is nothing unique in NZ transport, behaviour, habits, lives or urbanism, at all.
Given there are passenger ships why are there flights?
Given there are shoes why are there bicycles?
Given there are bicycles why are there cars?
Given there is one car type, why are there others?
Why do different things exist at all; shouldn’t there only be one thing?
Or: Different things do different things.
Wayne Brown keeps shouting loudly that his (or is it really Simeon’s) proposed changes will somehow restore Auckland control despite having very heavy ministerial control over our transport strategy (unlike every other region which has their own Regional Land Transport Committee – as per the Land Transport Act 1992 – without any Ministerial appointments). Auckland once had exactly this same system until AT was established in 2010). With Simeon’s appointees expect decades of progress with PT to be watered down or undone.
I normally call myself quite pessimistic about all of this, but man, I did not forsee a government actively seeking out and canning projects because they happen to include a non zero amount of cycling or pedestrian stuff. Like this Hill Street stuff. That is just bonkers. But hey at least the motorway bypasses that one now.
Maybe we will evolve to a city with a self selecting population of people who just want to drive and want everything else out of the way, and anyone who values cycling or walking, or really any sort of human habitat in cities, will move overseas.
The buses doing well makes sense, it seems Auckland Transport has been reasonably good at quietly improving services without anyone noticing and getting upset about it. (and sometimes not so quietly, in case of WEX.) Trains, well, at least we’re not Canada which is actively trying to kill the entire concept of passenger rail.
Also this Wynyard Peninsula park, there is a school in there right? Building all this stuff, and apartments, and then not having a school nearby would be really stupid. This area is currently much further from any school than just about anywhere in the suburbs.
Question, the top 5 items in that RoNS table are a bit questionable, but amount to a lower estimate of 10 billion dollar, how much improvements on trains would that buy us? Judging from the city rail, not much, but that one is perhaps more comparable to building the spaghetti junction or the Waterview tunnel. How far would it go on eg. Auckland to Tauranga?
$6.25 for one person to get into the city from the west! $12.50 return…. Wow take two people and it’s immediately better to drive. PT ridership won’t return to pre Covid levels for a while yet with those prices! In regards to the road deaths there’s a chance they might go back up but probably not because of the speed limit increases the economy is hurting now and statistically when the economy drops off the toll tracks down. Also an increase is breath testing will be helping.
Happy New Year
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/360530484/explained-aucklands-next-multi-billion-dollar-rail-project
The article and video suggest the primary driver for developing Avondale-Southdown being passenger services, which was not my thinking. They show stations at Te Papapa, north Onehunga, Mt Roskill and Wesley.
“KiwiRail says it will spend the next two years consulting with the communities along the route”
“While it hasn’t budgeted for the whole project, the Government is funding the planning and consenting phase to the tune of $3.9m”
“It’s been on the books forever for most people living here, and I think there was a view that it will never happen, and we’ve got to get that view correct. It will happen”
Yeah seems they want passenger rail to get the BCR and public over the line.
I know the onehunga branch is basically redundant at this point and any mass transit to Mangere and the airport from the north unlikely; but having the new ASL stations disconnected from central onehunga with no interchange opportunities with the bus hub ticks me off
It’s a miracle train numbers have bounced back at all. Between the ~11 month operating window, planned and unplanned construction/maintainance shutdowns and numerous other cancellations they’ve had a real hammering. I’m lucky to have WFH, or other options, as and alternatives but the reduced services (peak and ‘late’ evening) on the Western Line have put me off relying on trains at times.
The Meola/Pt Chevalier improvements are so good. Won’t comment about the Hon Simeon Brown, Minister of Transport Deaths, actions other than, disgusting.
The graph showing road deaths is very simplistic for the purposes of a conclusion. The upswing from 2014 coincides with an upswing in population growth for example. A graph to aid in a better conclusion would be to add a graph deaths per xxx population and deaths per xxx km driven. Even then there are other factors at play such as vehicle fleet age etc.
And in 2025 we may see more details of Auckland’s next big heavy rail project: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/360530484/explained-aucklands-next-multi-billion-dollar-rail-project
Personally I think a spur to Mt Roskill would make a lot more sense, I imagine it would be a tiny fraction of the cost and time.
The article mentions 25yrs…..Brown says all the right things about the importance of that line. Problem is, it’s not a road with a poor BCR, because that’s his priority.
Just get a Busway on SH20 from Avondale down to Onehunga and on to the Airport. Kiwirail can let us know when they are serious about rail expansion.
$4 million funding for a mult-billion dollar project… priorities.
“While it hasn’t budgeted for the whole project, the Government is funding the planning and consenting phase to the tune of $3.9m.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if National build this. They would buy a lot of Auckland votes with a rail project, and it would completely kill LR too. They may even commit to build it with a timeline so long it basically never starts.
And how many of those Over Priced and Over Rares Consultants have Foo/Feet in the door already
It’s a strange announcement when you think about it…
When Kiwirail released their 30yr plan and announced this line, they said it would be at the back end of that 3 decades and was justified from a freight basis, with value add for passenger rail. Now it’s the reverse.
And Simeon Brown waxes lyrical about its benefits for passengers and freight (which he rarely does about rail) says its vital, funds it consenting stage…..but then it still has a 25yr time frame?
Don’t expect anything to come of this. It’s just to resecure the designation and stop it from lapsing. There not going to do anything other than a planning study that says keep the designation.
Can do it in stages. Stage 1: the easy non controversial part alongside the motorway, requires a few new bridges but otherwise is very easy.
Meanwhile they can figure out the Onehunga mess as it’ll likely go through the courts. Leave that for Stage 2. Then Stage 3 can be the Onehunga line to Southdown part. Will be a super easy stage by comparison to the other stages, just doesn’t feel like it needs to be prioritized without the other 2 bits done.
Onehunga does look a mess. I know their are local groups already set up to fight it.
One other factor in why PT demand hasn’t recovered: the shift to working from home. In my particular work context in the UK, we are looking at our total rail volumes settling at some 15 percent down on what they were prior to the pandemic. *Non*work journey volumes have recovered; commuting, not so (specifically, about thirty percent down).
That makes sense, the concern is more that there is no growth. Prior to the pandemic there was continual growth and we would be expecting/hoping that to continue even if the baseline is 15 % lower than prior to the pandemic.