Railway dedication
That's transport management for Auckland under Der Über Stadt law: the Auckland transport system definition does not include the railways. It includes the passenger services on the rails, but not the rails themselves. Is that why there aren't any clocks at suburban stations? Is that the sort of incompetence you get when things are fragmented between agencies? The quicker they come to the conclusion that this is where most of the problems stem from the better. Don't include rail in the list then - give that responsibility to another body who can do something, but don't just acquiesce and let the broke and unmotivated Kiwirail and whoever runs the railways corridors from Wellington come up with something - they can't; and the way they see it - it ain't their problem.
Without an agency exclusively focused on rail in Auckland the rail option will always be under-prioritised when put in the same pool as motorways, buses and roads. The only line constructed in Auckland since the war was Britomart, a few years ago - about one kilometre - that is proof that the officials and the government has never sought to advance rail as a mode of passenger transport. If a separate stand-alone agency just for rail existed and designed and funded to build more lines then we might actually get some. The "system" as it exists, by their own definition, does not include the railways.
A few weeks ago I attended one of the public open days for the SH20 connection tunnel through Waterview. I queried the official why the rail line on the map didn't align to any part of the tunnel - which was odd since both routes are in the same corridor most of the way. He said the railways didn't want to co-operate even though these opportunities were put forward, and that they had a ground-level designation to put rail through so they would do that. Rather than having the opportunity to put the rail underground as well. The politicians have saved the neighbourhood from the motorway - only to have condemned them to dual rail lines at ground level. Not that they are ever planning on building even that. The transport integration you have when you aren't.A dedicated rail agency with long-term funding and legislative certainty, with a form of local democratic accountability and a clear mandate would be an institution which could advocate, plan and commission the complex works necessary to make a city-wide suburban electric railway system a reality.
posted by Tim Selwyn @ 7:22 pm
2 comments
2 Comments:
The problem with rail is that it is best suited to monopoly provision - and that poses a fundamental problem for the right of centre. The provision of services cannot be a state enterprise (because supposedly its too inefficient and private enterprises can do it better - YEA RIGHT! Winsconin Rail, Telecom, and every other private monopoly endeavour, despite their priviledged position still tries to rewrite history - but basically greed got in their way).
But why did we expect that rail couldn;t or wouldn't figure in the middle to long term plan? Same reason the current government seeks to constantly find ways (artificially) to ensure a publicly owned rail system won't survive economically.
But the reality is that it will long term, because eventually it may well become the LAST resort and the spinsters will all be the first chanting hoe useless it is, coveniently forgetting that they were responsible for undefunding, lack of investment, artificially propping up alternatives.
As a regular user of Perth's expanding and efficient rail system, I can't understand why people don't realise this is the way for the mid term future(well, can actually, but don't want to acknowledge how totally incompetent and intellectually corrupt our called leaders are!) Petty decisions by petty minded venal people with no foresight and over-inflated egos.
Mind you - it was Labour in WA who pushed the $1B South line, over the howls of the right who considered it all too much and insisted buses were much better. Well,the line is in now, and useage is steadily increasing as people realise just how convenient, stress free and useful it is, going by train the 80km instead of driving on the congested freeway. It's a pity the "leaders" don't come from the ranks of the "average" citizen, these days. I guess it'll end up like the States, with a clique of the powerful, running government on behalf of the powerful, to the complete detriment of the bulk of the population they are meant to serve....
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