NEW ZEALAND: Tenders have been called for detailed planning and design of the light rail line which is proposed as spine of a rapid transit network covering Auckland.
The NZ$14·6bn project envisages a 24 km, 18-stop light rail line running in tunnel from Wynyard Quarter to Mt Roskill and then surfacing to run alongside the SH20 motorway to the airport. Longer term plans could see expansion to the North Shore and northwest.
The winners of the Urban, Engineering & Planning Alliance Professional Services contract are scheduled to be contracted by October, and will be tasked with developing a Corridor Business Case and designing the route to progress the project by mid-2024.
‘This is a mega project that has never been seen before in New Zealand. So we have put the call out to a range of local and international firms to bring us their real skills and experience for how light rail will work best here’, said Auckland Light Rail Group Project Director Tommy Parker on May 12.
The tender is being co-ordinated with similar but separate work on the Additional Waitematā Harbour Connections project.
’Auckland’s population is projected to rise to two million by the early 2030s’, said Minister of Transport Michael Wood. ’In order to move two million people around our largest city safely and efficiently, we need well-planned and connected infrastructure. We’re not going to repeat the previous mistakes of ad hoc planning and be left scrambling to build infrastructure when it’s too late — this rapid transit system is about making sure Auckland is able to flourish as it grows.’
