AT June Board Meeting

Auckland Transport has its next board meeting on Monday and the business report is now online. Here are some of the bits I found interesting:

First up some news about the work going on to update the Public Transport Network Plan, of which the new bus network will be a part of.

• The review of the existing Public Transport Network Plan 2006-2016 (PTNP) is continuing. The proposed network structure will retain the PTNP concepts of a Rapid Transit Network supported by a layered service approach, with more emphasis on a network of frequent services:
  • The frequent service network:
    • The Rapid Transit Network (RTN) of rail and Bus way services
    • Frequent bus and ferry services at a worst case 15 minute service frequency across seven days
  • Secondary and tertiary network of local bus and ferry services connecting to the above
  • Targeted services: peak only and school bus services
• Initial discussions with key stakeholders are progressing to finalise the network structure and key route framework over the next three months. A briefing has been undertaken with operators and this will be finalised at an operator CE/COO meeting at the end of June. A presentation will be organised for the Board.
• An engagement and consultation plan is being prepared which will guide the various layers of consultation.
• A preliminary assessment of the infrastructure requirements of the new PT structure is being undertaken, which will result in a reprioritisation of infrastructure projects to match the timings required for implementation. We are working with NZTA to ensure that the rebuild of the Te Atatu Motorway Interchange will accommodate passenger connections between frequent bus services along the motorway and along Te Atatu Rd. In the south, a bus-train interchange at Otahuhu will be the top priority, as this will enable Great South Rd bus services to terminate and feed the rail network, rather than run parallel with the rail corridor and duplicate.
• The business case for zonal based integrated fares is being reviewed to ensure that customers required to make transfers between services to complete their journeys will not incur a fare penalty – this will need to be put in place after the implementation of integrated ticketing under the AIFS project.

But perhaps the most interesting bit is that last part, Integrated fares are going to be so important and are likely to make a huge difference to how PT is used in Auckland. Combined with the new bus network and the new EMUs all coming on stream in the next few years it really is going to be an interesting and great time for PT in the city.

There is also this comment about the busway, we have always known that the busway was carrying a lot more passengers than just those on NEX services but now we can see that more than half of all passengers using the busway actually do so via local buses.

Northern Busway patronage surveying has been completed. Across all scheduled bus services, the Busway carries a reported estimate of 5.7 million unique passenger trips per year. This compares to a reported 2.3 million trips per year on the Northern Express bus service alone. This provides a further detail of patronage analysis compared to the monthly statistical report.

Some more information about integrated ticketing, the last point indicates that AT will go ahead with the project without the bus integration, perhaps they are giving up on Snapper being able to work with the Thales system?

• Civil Works installation expected to commence mid-June for ticketing machines at the start of July.
• The Factory Acceptance Testing of the Thales CORE system was completed successfully. User Acceptance Testing of the Rail and Ferry solutions of the Thales CORE system has been completed, analysis of results is on-going.
• The project team is engaging with the business to develop the operating systems and processes for the new ticketing regime. This is a major piece of work involving PT Operations, Customer Services and the Transport Operators.
• Go-Live date prior to 30th November was confirmed for Rail and Ferry services, the Bus services will follow

Moving on to Infrastructure works, AMETI all seems to be progressing well with some of the key bits I’m interested in, the new Panmure station building and the busway between the station and the Panmure bridge, both moving to the detailed design phase. A concept design for Dominion Rd has been completed and is being presented to the board in the closed part of the agenda. Passengers at New Lynn may have seen works going on at the station, this is to expand the canopy at the station and is due for completion in October.

With the EMU Project things seem like they are really gearing up, the mock up is now here and it appears that construction will be starting pretty soon.

Design
The EMU Project is now heavily engaged in the detail design of the vehicles, systems and equipment. The interfaces between the train and the infrastructure, including the new signalling and electrification systems are being developed and analysed to ensure the potential benefits of the electrified railway are fully realised.
The EMU manufacturer, CAF, has been submitting designs and proposals to AT for review and comment, leading up to three weeks of workshops in Auckland, starting in mid-June, The workshops will bring together all stakeholders and representatives of the user groups, including drivers and train managers, to review all aspects of the EMUs.
During the past month, user groups, representing the full spectrum of the travelling public, have continued to be involved in the development of the train interior design and passenger interfaces through meetings and discussion groups, in preparation for the workshops in June.

Production
CAF have ordered all the major equipment for the EMUs, including the stainless steel for the body shells. Production of the first pieces for the body shells is programmed to start in July.

Three Month Look Ahead
The design workshops are scheduled for the period 14 – 30 June in Auckland. This is a contractual requirement and is when the CAF design team present their design to AT, together with the operational representatives of Veolia, and other involved parties such as KiwiRail Networks for infrastructure interfaces, and NZTA for licensing and safety case development.
During the next three months the EMU design will be progressed and CAF will make preparations for full scale production, due to commence in September 2013.

Lastly for this post, an update on the capital works programme (large projects) for the next few years (click it to make it bigger) 

 Note: There are a couple of things I haven’t covered off that I will look to do so in future posts