Auckland rail is largely out of commission for the next several years. A main form of public transport is up for enormous amounts of disruption.
It varies from line to line. And even if you believe the timeframe around the work, which you shouldn’t, it'll be 2026 before it's all done.
This doesn’t appear to be their fault, or really anyone's fault, the infrastructure is a mess and it needs work.
But this comes at a time when the Government is falling over backwards, along with councils in the major centres, to promote public transport. Why are you promoting something that is in for years of disruption?
And, if you know anything about rail services, they have been an unreliable mess for years anyway. We live next to a train station; the number of times it doesn’t work is astonishing. Entire days go by with not a train in sight.
Queue the answer, the buses. Don't laugh.
That is their answer, the buses.
The buses that when the trains do run can't keep up or show up. These are the buses that are already a joke. So, you're honestly telling me that when the trains aren't working, a whole shed-load of extra buses are being magicked up from Busville to turn up and pick up the slack.
At the same time this particular cluster was being announced, authorities from all over the country were making yet another plea to the Government to loosen the immigration settings to let, that's right, bus drivers into the country.
You can't get a bus driver for love, nor money. Every bus has their electronic sign on flashing "we are hiring.”
So, the trains are off, the buses we don’t have, with drivers that aren't here are set to pick fill the void. While at the same time, the millions that are poured into promoting the wonders of public transport continue to be spent unabated.
You can't write this stuff. And yet here we are, and will be for the next several years.
But this comes at a time when the Government is falling over backwards, along with councils in the major centres, to promote public transport. Why are you promoting something that is in for years of disruption?
And, if you know anything about rail services, they have been an unreliable mess for years anyway. We live next to a train station; the number of times it doesn’t work is astonishing. Entire days go by with not a train in sight.
Queue the answer, the buses. Don't laugh.
That is their answer, the buses.
The buses that when the trains do run can't keep up or show up. These are the buses that are already a joke. So, you're honestly telling me that when the trains aren't working, a whole shed-load of extra buses are being magicked up from Busville to turn up and pick up the slack.
At the same time this particular cluster was being announced, authorities from all over the country were making yet another plea to the Government to loosen the immigration settings to let, that's right, bus drivers into the country.
You can't get a bus driver for love, nor money. Every bus has their electronic sign on flashing "we are hiring.”
So, the trains are off, the buses we don’t have, with drivers that aren't here are set to pick fill the void. While at the same time, the millions that are poured into promoting the wonders of public transport continue to be spent unabated.
You can't write this stuff. And yet here we are, and will be for the next several years.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings
4 comments:
Oh Mike, don't be such a pessimist. It's all a clever plan to get us all on bicycles and save the planet at the same time. Bit of a bugger during inclement weather, when you've got a fair way to travel, got to go the supermarket, or take the kids to sport/school etc, but these are just minor inconveniences when weighed against the greater good of our fight against climate change. Of course, directing housing intensification around transport hubs is a bit embarrassing when that transport's not working.
There has been no suggestion that the hideous six and more storey hard alongside high rise zoning inflicted on all within 800 metres of rail stations will be postponed for 4 years. (By which time the reality of the Auckland apartment glut will have become apparent, and the imagined need for the zoning will have gone)
The obvious solution is.......of course, let's put lower speed limits on another 1600 roads around Auckland, especially those that cars (and buses) may travel on to get to work and back. That will speed everything up and get us through this minor train inconvenience thingy. Right hand not talking to the left hand maybe? More like right hand and left hand with no brain to control them.
I don't know what you're talking about Mike. I live in Wellington but go to Auckland often for business interests. The bus service is fabulous; the only delays I have noticed recently have been because of covit which is a worldwide pandemic. The dedicated bus lanes are amazing. I see long cues on the Harbour Bridge but the buses sail past them as though they had wings. Sorry Mike, but give credit where credit is due.
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