Today we’ve learned that a subsidiary group to KiwiRail will be established to own Auckland’s future electric trains, along with the trains that the government already owns in Wellington. I am guessing that over time the trains that the ARC owns may be transfered into this new agency (or phased out in the case of the ADKs and the ADLs). Here’s a bit more from the press release:
The new rolling stock purchased by Government will be held in special KiwiRail subsidiary companies and leased to train operators who provide the service.
KiwiRail will be able to bid to operate the services alongside other train operators, but all bidders will face the same price to lease the trains, and to access the track.
NZTA and the Regional Council (or in Auckland’s case the Auckland Transport Agency I suppose) will still be the ones who choose who gets the contracts to operate the train services (the contract that Veolia currently has). In Wellington, KiwiRail currently is the direct operator of the services so there will be some separation between the entity that owns their trains and the entity that operates them.
Now, I’m not saying that this proposal is necessarily a bad idea. For transparency it makes sense for all potential operators to have an equal opportunity to get a contract, and perhaps having KiwiRail as owner and potential operator could be seen as a conflict of interest.
However, it is just another agency to throw into the transport mix in Auckland. Just when we thought things were being dramatically simplified by removing distinctions between the ARC, the city councils and ARTA – all to be replaced by a simple Auckland Council and its transport branch, the Auckland Transport Agency, we now have yet another agency put into the mix. I guess I am hoping that this new agency will remain reasonably close to KiwiRail as a whole, for no other reason than to just keep things as simple as possible. Auckland’s public transport system has been paralysed over the last decade to some extent by simply too many agencies being involved. I hope this is a step forwards, and not a step backwards.
The whole cabinet paper is available here for those interested.
I personally don’t view it as another agency just a holding company which the ATA and Kiwirail (Local and Central Government) will control…
If it brings more reliable services I think it’s good thing and I hope it means our beloved transport minister will provide excellent rolling stock to attract better operators…
Yes well here’s hoping it doesn’t complicate matters. The last thing we need is yet ANOTHER agency being involved in the running of public transport in Auckland.
Although it could complicate things a little, it makes sense buisness wise. Also, at least it’s another step towards getting the damn things.
Yes it is an important step towards getting the trains.
It makes me a little hopeful SJ might bite the $50 – $140 million bullet, do it once and properly (but not too hopeful)…