$12b infrastructure programme announced

Roads, rail, schools and hospitals will be built and upgraded across the country under a $12 billion New Zealand Upgrade Programme, prime minister Jacinda Ardern says.

Deputy prime minister Winston Peters says the programme is the largest investment in infrastructure in decades.

“Today’s announcement of further funding for New Zealand’s national rail system is yet one more step in restoring a reliable, resilient freight and passenger network.

“The upgrade programme also includes a serious investment in the regions, which we will be announcing more detail about in the near future,” Peters says.

Four major rail projects get funding.

These include $315 million improvements to the Wiri to Quay Park Corridor in Auckland including construction of a third rail line to ease the bottleneck between Wiri and Westfield, providing additional capacity around Westfield Junction, and works around Quay Park to improve rail access to the Ports of Auckland; $371 million to extend electrification from Papakura to Pukekohe by 19km, $211 million for improvements to the Wellington, Wairarapa and Palmerston North network and beyond, and $247 million to develop the Drury railway station, with two new stations at Drury East and Drury West.

“These projects will enable KiwiRail to deliver effective rail services and get our cities moving. A well-maintained reliable rail system reduces road congestion and road maintenance costs, seriously lowers carbon emissions, and allows for large volumes of freight across the country,” Peters says.

Climate change minister James Shaw says that in the wake of the Government’s Zero Carbon Act passing unopposed last year, today’s clean energy announcements are an important step in getting the government’s own house in order.

Transport infrastructure upgrades include $6.8 billion in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Canterbury and Queenstown.

As well as $1.1b for rail, there’s $2.2b for new roads in Auckland.

Transport minister Phil Twyford says these projects will speed up travel times, ease congestion and make roads safer by taking trucks off them and moving more freight to rail.

He says $6.8 billion is being invested across road, rail, public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure.

“This programme brings forward and funds significant projects, allowing them to be built sooner.

“The projects have also been redesigned and future proofed to include provision for public transport and walking and cycling.

The road programme includes upgrading SH1 Whangarei to Port Marsden to four lanes to improve freight connectivity, the Whangaparaoa to SH1 Penlink bridge over the Weiti River, upgrading Mill Road to four lanes and connecting Manukau to Drury, widening SH1 from Papakura to Drury and building a cycleway alongside it, a roundabout at the SH1/SH29 intersection, a four-lane Tauranga Northern Link and upgrades on SH2 to Omokoroa, four-laning SH1 from Otaki to north of Levin, second stage SH58 safety improvements in Greater Wellington, accelerating public transport in Christchurch and Queenstown, and more.

Cyclists, including e-bike riders, will have a shared path over the Auckland Harbour Bridge.