Common acronyms

We use a lot of acronyms here at TransportBlog. We try to write them out in full the first time we use them in a post, but we won’t always remember – sorry in advance! With that in mind here’s a list of the common ones, plus some quick definitions to help get you up to speed:

  • AMETI – Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative. A large transport project that was born out of the failed Eastern Motorway project that has thankfully become more and more public transport oriented over time.
  • AT – Auckland Transport. Run by the council, and “responsible for all of the region’s transport services (excluding state highways), from roads and footpaths, to cycling, parking and public transport”. Not affiliated with us.
  • AWHC – Additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing. Another crossing of the Waitemata Harbour. Current proposals suggest another road crossing which has a very poor business case
  • BRT – Bus Rapid Transit. What the Northern Busway is.
  • CCO – Council Controlled Organisation. These include Auckland Transport, Ports of Auckland, Waterfront Auckland,Auckland Council Property Ltd and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development.
  • CRL – City Rail Link. The missing link in Auckland’s train network.
  • DMU – Diesel Multiple Unit. A self-contained diesel passenger train, was previously used in Auckland but no longer in service (except Pukekohe)
  • FTN – Frequent Transit Network. Regular public transport services, running at least every 10-15 minutes all day.
  • ECTS – European Train Control System. Part of the signalling system that controls Auckland’s trains.
  • EMU – Electric Multiple Unit. An electric train, as used in Wellington and (now) Auckland
  • GPS – Government Policy Statement. A high level document that specifies the governments transport priorities and sets a rough guide for how much money can be spent on each key activity
  • LRT – Light Rail Transit. Often considered modern trams but LRT also generally features a lot of segregated running i.e. via its own lanes
  • MOT – Ministry of Transport. The government department which provides policy advice on transport.
  • NEX – Northern Express. The service that runs only on the Northern Busway
  • NLTF – National Land Transport Fund. Money comes into this from petrol excise tax, road user charges and other sources. It then goes to pay for state highways, a pittance on public and active transport, and to help councils fund local projects.
  • NLTP – National Land Transport Plan. – A three year plan outlining just what projects projects will receive funding across the country
  • NZTA – NZ Transport Agency. The government agency responsible for state highways, the National Land Transport Fund and a number of other transport functions.
  • PAUP – Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan. The proposed new planning rulebook for Auckland. It is currently going through a formal hearing process.
  • PT – Public transport. Bus, train, ferry.
  • PTOM – Public transport operating model. This will be a new way of awarding contracts for bus routes, and we’ll be shifting to it over the next few years.
  • RLTP – Regional Land Transport Plan. A three year plan outlining just what projects projects will receive funding across the region
  • RoNS – Roads of National Significance. The government’s centrepiece transport policy – a series of large motorway projects, many of which have very poor business cases.
  • RPTP – Regional Public Transport Plan. This is a document created by Auckland Transport, outlining the public transport services they want to provide over the next ten years, and how they plan to deliver it.
  • RTN – Rapid Transit Network. Regular public transport services, running on their own right of way so they are not affected by road congestion. Auckland’s RTN includes the trains and (to some extent) the Northern Busway.
  • SA Set – Carriage trains that were pushed/pulled around the Auckland network by freight locomotives – no longer in service (except Pukekohe)
  • SHA – Special Housing Area.  An area the council and government have agreed to fast track housing consents in a bid to build houses faster
  • SMART – South Western Multimodal Airport Rapid Transit Project. Otherwise known as Rail to the Airport
  • WRR – Western Ring Route. – The name for the series of motorway projects creating a motorway from Manukau to Constellation via Waterview

If there’s any that we’ve missed then please let us know so we can update it.