Francesca Rudkin: We all want new infrastructure - but this is getting frustrating

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

It’s understandable Auckland CBD's retail and hospitality businesses' initial reaction was one of concern after learning Auckland’s train network will close for 96 days in the final push to get the City Rail Link open in 2026. Devastated even.

In years to come, we will take the CRL for granted as a valuable, normal part of a functioning, modern city. But almost a decade of disruption has taken a toll.

This latest news will be triggering for those impacted. Yes, the rail network upgrades have to be done. Yes, better to bite the bullet now than drag this out for even longer. We are all desperate to cut the ribbon on the CRL and get on with life.

But this news came out of the blue. It’s only 7 weeks until the first shut down - from 27th December to 28th January. This is very short notice for businesses preparing for what they hope will be a busy summer season.

It's frustrating. What helps manage the pain is how you consult, communicate information, and prepare for the inconvenience.

AT said there will be extra buses to accommodate passengers during the rail closures, but acknowledges special events will be challenging. New Year's Eve, Sail GP, and the ASB Classic are all held over summer period when there will be train stoppages. Honestly, and I know it’s hard for some of you to believe, but Auckland is a great place to be over summer. As long as you can get around.

It’s not like a sold out concert at Eden Park isn’t challenging enough now for public transport. Which is something the CRL will improve.

And this is the issue at the heart of it all - new infrastructure can breathe life into a city or region, we just don’t want to live through the nightmare of building it.

This is not just an Auckland problem. The Government has announced its preferred plan for Wellington is to build two new tunnels to funnel large numbers of cars into the central city. Thats going to be disruptive. I was in Christchurch this week, where there is real excitement about the stadium and the growth of the city - but what a ordeal the last 13 years have been.

This week, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop released a discussion document which outlines the Infrastructure Commission’s thinking for developing a 30 year National Infrastructure Plan. The idea is to create a bipartisan approach to infrastructure, to plan, fund and deliver what the country needs - but also what it can afford.

It's a good, forward thinking, organised approach to infrastructure - the plan should be delivered by the end of 2025. It will provide a pipeline, which gives us a much clearer view of upcoming projects and an understanding of what’s involved for those impacted.

So, bring on the upgrades and improvements to our infrastructure, but bring the people along with you. It's not that hard, the Government must consult, communicate and - this is a really important bit- compensate those adversely impacted.

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