To mark the opening week of the City Rail Link, here is the second interview in our ongoing series on the origins of the project. This one is with former transport minister, and former leader of the National Party, current chair of Waka Kotahi/NZTA, and CE of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Simon Bridges.
The first interview, with godfather of the CRL and former Mayor of Auckland Len Brown, is here.
Thanks especially to Dallas Rabot of MARTIAN BUNKER for his generous shooting and production of the video, No7 cafe for hosting (and great coffee), and of course Simon Bridges for giving his time for this interview.
Enjoy.
As ever, if you enjoy our content and wider work, and are able to, please consider supporting us financially, especially as we are now a registered charity. And check out our new merchandise store for some fabulous urbane kit for the whole fam, including our exclusive “fab four” CRL station gear!
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Predictable as ever, the Herald’s first article about the CRL in this Monday morning edition is headlined “CRL opening adds up to 10 minutes to some Auckland commutes”.
In fact the item merely goes on to say that for some journeys across town a change at a city centre station will be necessary.
It feels like they are trying really hard to find something negative to say about the project and that’s all they could come up with.
Glad I am not the only one that saw that headline and rolled their eyes. Inflammatory just to get clicks, nice job “journalists”.
Whilst no fan of the Herald’s reporting on PT/sustainable transport and obviously they are following the media line of bad news sells. They are correct to a degree. A trip from Henderson to Newmarket will, according to Journey Planner take 11 minutes longer post opening of CRL on the E-W line, they could have mentioned though, it will be 5 mins quicker on the less frequent O-W line. And of course it also opens up more alternatives.
A big chunk of the Heralds income is from selling advertising in it’s motoring pages. Any move away from car transport, including shorter commutes with intensification, increased public transport use, and even commuter cycling, represents potential loss of income.
In fairness the actual dead tree edition had a much better headline, but I guess the online version is looking for clicks.
Funny enough, in Melbourne that was a very real outcome to quite a few people, largely through the omission of South Yarra station on the Metro Tunnel.
Reminds me of the British press.
They always had negative stories about British Railways/British Rail, and even into privatisation they couldn’t let it alone.
Should be interesting to see what the report now that the railways in England and Wales are State owned, as the Left/Unions have always wanted.
Good interview, thanks Patrick !
Time:
How much time have we had a city without a circular train through the centre?
How much time since we had a Mayor who would have liked to do this in the 1970s?
Are minutes really important? Are seconds really important? We have had almost three decades of a dead end train station at Waitemata Britomart. The stupidest idea any person ever had regarding a train system. In six days it will be remedied.
Long live the CRL, long live ART
bah humbug
I do realise that somethings are more complex than they might seem to be to lay people, but does anyone know how the new timetables have come about?
The Southern line was previously 10 minute frequency at peak, and 20 minute off peak. This was quite easy to remember: for example my options for trains to work were 0708, 0718, 0728, 0738, 0748 and trains home were 1705, 1716, 1726, 1735, 1746.
The SC line will be 15 minute frequency all day (an improvement off peak) with some extra services at peak (which seems to be about the same number of trains as now, but not as evenly spaced). My to work trains will soon be 0700, 0715, 0730, 0736, 0745 and from work 1702, 1717, 1724, 1732, 1747.
I know this might be nit-picking, but with 10 minute intervals you can just turn up anytime and have no more than 10 minutes to wait, usually less. The new timetable means a greater change of waiting longer than 10 minutes, which feels substantial given the train trip for me is 12 minutes (my trip is between Ellerslie and Middlemore on rainy days – its bike when fine!)
But overall I am looking forward to the CRL opening and am thankful for all the work that has gone into making it happen
The plan is to have 8tph at peak, however while they are bedding in the new network there will only be 6tph. To achieve this 2 have been taken out leaving these larger gaps.
This is a truly outstanding project for Auckland city. In years to come we’ll look back and say this was great foresight and planning. The city desperately needed this.
What awesome engineering feat and design this is. The aesthetics are very pleasing. Let’s hope the Nation gets many more infrastructure projects of this magnitude.
Regards John Martin
I have great respect for what Bridges did during his time as Minister for Transport. History sees him as one of the best minister of transport we have had for quite some time. But listening to this interview, hes not great at verbalising visions and achievements, to much fluff in what he says/don’t say, but the decisions were great.
I understand he doesn’t want to say to much about other ex cabinet ministers, but both the CRL and the NW busway got blocked by Steven Joyce. In fact Joyce pushed so hard for his extra lanes on the NW motorway that he even mocked the idea of buslanes to be built simultaneously (Northern busway was already a roaring success then – so that was ideological, not rational). Having met the gentleman, during those times, he was proud to state that he had stopped these PT projects for good since there was no chance of further widening the motorway (causeway is limited) and that he had set conditions that made the funding for the CRL unlikely for another generation. He boosted about these achievements to a crowd of Auckland Businesses and I remember that it was received very lukewarm. Aucklanders of all political colours realised the need for both the CRL and the NW busway. The information campaign from the Mayors office had been really effective.
Anyway, to go from that level of resistance, to approval and public signing of the project was a huge accomplishment, especially with Joyce being part of Keys so called kitchen cabinet. Bridges did well. He pushed that deal over the line and deserves credit. We were lucky he got appointment and not another small-town boy (like Joyce) who’s vision of Auckland was one of lifestyle blocks and a ‘fast’ drive to the office.
Good job Patrick. We’ll done for getting such a good personable conversation going with Simon Bridges.