The use of cranes was not feasible underground, so the contractor employed an ingenious solution The Cross River Rail project aimed to alleviate congestion in Brisbane’s metro transport system and improve transportation for the growing population. Continue →

The deletion of one line in the Land Transport Management (Regulation of Public Transport) Amendment Act now means that public transport that crosses a regional boundary is still subject to the objectives and policies of any applicable regional public transport plan, Darren Davis writes Numerous submitters to the Land Transport Management (Regulation of Public Transport) Amendment Bill, implementing the Sustainable Public Transport Framework, pointed out that there was no sound public policy rationale for treating inter-regional public transport any differently than intra-regional public transport. Continue →

An interim review of Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) project, commissioned by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission – Te Waihanga, offers a timely reminder of the significant challenges with delivering large, complex infrastructure projects and the consequences when risks eventuate The purpose of the review is to assist project teams and decision makers considering Auckland Light Rail and similarly complex projects to learn from the lessons of New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure investment to date. Continue →

Not to be outdone by National’s mega roads plan, Labour announced a $35-45 billion harbour crossing programme that doubles down on the transport planning mistakes of Auckland’s past, Greater Auckland’s Matt Lowrie writes Two new three lane road tunnels under the Waitemata Harbour, one going in each direction, and a separate light rail tunnel that will link to the existing Auckland Light Rail corridor is the proposed plan for a second Auckland harbour crossing. Continue →

As expected, the National Party’s transport policy is almost all about building lots of big roads, once again using the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) name, Greater Auckland’s Matt Lowrie writes I think we’re up to the fourth version of the RoNS now, and just like at the last election, one of the headline features of the policy is to build a four-lane highway from Whangarei to Tauranga.  Continue →

A new zero-emission heavy transport vehicle can remove the carbon impact of installing large infrastructure such as bridges, wind turbines and power station components The innovation by transport company, Mammoet, works by converting existing Self-propelled Modular Transporters – or SPMTs – from diesel to electric power. Continue →

While the National Party is promising a ‘Pothole Repair Fund’, the ACT Party has released a far more ambitious roading policy that would utilise tolls to change the way new and existing roads are funded   There is no such thing as a free road. Continue →

The Te Huia passenger train from Hamilton to Auckland has been ordered to terminate early in Papakura until further notice after instances of it running red lights — Darren Davis explores how it came to this and who will ultimately pay the price Te Huia has had a rough ride and already faced significant challenges to its very survival before the shock announcement on Tuesday 11 July 2023 of the service’s enforced truncation to Papakura. Continue →

The Future is Rail conference was held in Wellington on June 28th – Suraya Sidhu Singh and Laurie Winkless give a brief summary of what was discussed and the challenges facing rail in New Zealand Rail as essential infrastructure: Passenger rail is a vital piece of infrastructure like water, power, telecommunications etc. Continue →

Waka Kotahi needs to review its closure policy and risk profiles for managing Auckland’s Harbour Bridge as yet another day of productivity is lost to Auckland’s economy, says the Employers & Manufacturers Association (EMA) The current policy continues to look like a knee-jerk over reaction to the one serious damage accident we’ve had in 70 years of operation of the bridge, says EMA Head of Advocacy, Strategy and Finance, Alan McDonald. Continue →

New bike and walking paths being installed around Evans Bay are a double-win for the environment, providing the means to get about in climate-friendly ways and reducing waste by making use of recycled materials Work is underway on the 780-meter section of new walking and biking paths on Evans Bay Parade between Weka Bay and Little Karaka Bay. Continue →

While the Capital Connection train route between Palmerston North and Wellington will soon have a new fleet of refurbished rolling stock, there appears to be no firm plans to make best use of them to provide better service than the status quo, writes Darren Davis The Capital Connection, Aotearoa’s longest-running inter-regional commuter train, running between Palmerston North and Wellington, will experience a Lazarus moment with “new” refurbished rolling stock soon entering service. Continue →

Asking everyone what they think of every transport micro-decision is an enormous waste of time and resources, says University of Auckland Senior Lecturer Timothy Welch, who wants Auckland Transport to stop asking and start doing Your transport agency would like to know if it’s okay to paint the side of the road with a broken yellow line. Continue →

This project has had an incredibly long history, with previous versions incredibly expensive, somehow detrimental to transport outcome targets and massively environmentally damaging, Greater Auckland reports The government is beginning public engagement on options for the Waitemata Harbour Connections project. Continue →

Auckland Airport is undergoing its biggest redevelopment since the airport opened in 1966 with a brand-new domestic terminal to be fully integrated into the international terminal Replacement of 57-year-old domestic terminal confirmed Single biggest redevelopment since the airport opened in 1966 Domestic and international travel to be housed under one roof Resilient and built to meet climate change goals and to create a more sustainable airport 2,000 additional jobs created at the height of construction “This is a major investment for Auckland Airport, one which we have been working towards for many years,” says Auckland Airport Chair Patrick Strange. Continue →

While the cost of living and climate crises continue to bite and New Zealand’s transport infrastructure falls into disrepair, the left and right are both criticising Labour’s fourth extension to its inflationary fuel tax cut, calling it “dumb, election year populism” Introduced in March 2022 as a temporary three-month measure, the Government has once again extended its “cost of living support” until 30 June 2023 as the cost of living crisis continues. Continue →

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has announced the challenge topics for its second round of innovation funding after 24 projects were approved for round one Waka Kotahi received more than 110 applications for the initial round of funding for the $15 million innovation fund Hoe ki angitū, launched in June 2022 to help accelerate the development of solutions to challenges facing the land transport system. Continue →

A focus on the sustainable funding of any new passenger rail infrastructure, including its operation and ongoing maintenance, was discussed in Infrastructure New Zealand’s submission to an inquiry into the future of inter-regional passenger rail Submissions closed recently for an inquiry opened by Parliament’s Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee. Continue →

Contactless debit or credit cards and digital payment methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay will be available on public transport throughout the country as part of the National Ticketing Solution (NTS), however it will not be fully rolled out until 2026 Whether it is on the bus, train or ferry, there will be a single payment system across New Zealand, with the signing of the National Ticketing Solution contract with American public transportation and defense corporation, Cubic. Continue →

The annual Bentley Systems Going Digital Awards honors the extraordinary work of software users advancing infrastructure design, construction, and operations Eleven independent jury panels selected 36 finalists from over 300 nominations submitted by more than 180 organizations from 47 countries encompassing 12 categories. Continue →