Labour has indicated that it is open to giving the mandate for rail planning to the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).
At the Local Government New Zealand conference Labour’s leader Andrew Little said that transport planning encompasses road, rail, coastal shipping and ports.
“With a mode-neutral transport system we could build better transport in our towns and cities, and a more efficient freight transport network,” pointed out Little.
“But that coherence is harder to achieve in New Zealand, partly because road transport planning comes under NZTA, but rail planning doesn’t.
“I’m open to discussing creative solutions to ensure that strategic coordination takes place, including by delegating NZTA the added job of strategic planning for our rail network.”
The NZTA board allocates funds from the National Land Transport Fund to land transport activities, including local roads, state highways and public transport.
KiwiRail, a state-owned enterprise, looks after the rail track network. Auckland Transport and the Greater Wellington Regional Council own the trains that provide passenger services.
A two-year $190.2 million funding package for KiwiRail as part of May’s Budget came with a warning from transport minister Simon Bridges that ongoing subsidies at that level are unsustainable.
The new Budget spending takes total investment in the company since 2010 to $1.4 billion.
