A women sits inside the new Express Rail Link (ERL) train enroute from KL Sentral to KLIA2 airport, April 30, 2014. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has given the green light for Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), the countr
A women sits inside the new Express Rail Link (ERL) train enroute from KL Sentral to KLIA2 airport, April 30, 2014. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has given the green light for Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), the country's new airport terminal for budget airlines, to start operations on May 2, the New Straits Times reported. REUTERS/Samsul Said REUTERS/Samsul Said

The Green Party in New Zealand has slammed the government for delaying Auckland's rail development and in pushing the expensive Puhoi to Wellsford motorway. The party's transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter expressed surprise at the government's decision to fund the expensive low value roads, while sidelining the much needed City Rail Link to the corner. The party quoted latest statistics from the New Zealand Transport Agency to show that traffic volumes on the motor way were not only flat but also declining. In contrast, rail patronage has gone up in the past one year.

Delay In Rail Link

Auckland Mayor Len Brown also acknowledged a delay in the start of the $2.4-billion rail link, by at least three years, after having committed a 2015-2016 start date. The government has refused to commit funding before 2020. The Greens called it a sign of retracting from the right priorities despite the huge growth enjoyed by the rail network, reported TV Nz.

In the past year, the number of people who used Auckland's rail network doubled than that of the state highway between Puhoi and Wellsford. Still it is sheer surprise that the National Government is pushing ahead with the motorway extension that is not helping Aucklanders to get to work or reduce congestion, the spokesperson said.

High Priority

The Green Party said a significant increase in rail patronage showed the urgent need to fast-track the Auckland City Rail link. Auckland Transport figures have shown that rail patronage in the 12 months to June having jumped 13.9 percent. The Greens want the construction of the rail link to start in 2015 and cited a recent poll by Herald-Digi to show that Aucklanders were favouring public transport over roads.

The party said the City rail link is the essential step in creating a smarter, greener transport network that works well for all Aucklanders. It also has the advantage of unlocking the bottleneck at Britomart and getting the full benefits of electrification. Also, at any point of time, investing in Auckland rail is cheap and cost-effective than spending billions on road ways, the Green party asserted.