Construction of a Rotokauri public transport hub expected to cater for 30,000 passengers a month will start next month.

The hub will be a combined bus and rail public transport facility, and will include a pedestrian link across the rail line to The Base.

To build the hub for the mid-2020 launch of a commuter rail service to Auckland, Hamilton City Council’s Growth and Infrastructure Committee today approved delegated authority for the Chief Executive to award the contract as soon as possible after tenders have been received.

Committee Chair Dave Macpherson says the decision follows last week’s announcement by Transport Minister Phil Twyford of $79.8M of NZ Transport Agency construction and operation funding for the rail service.

“Hamilton City Council has championed this passenger rail project for a long time, and I want to thank Minister Twyford and the government for their vision and support and for having the confidence to invest in Hamilton and the Waikato,” Cr Macpherson says.

The total project cost to develop the hub, including land costs, design work and additional roading, is $29M, of which $18.5M is contributed by government through NZ Transport Agency subsidies. When it opens the hub will service more than 170 bus movements per weekday along with two morning peak rail services to Auckland and two returning evening services. The bus movements will quickly grow to over 400 per weekday.

“The ratio of government funding support for this project is higher than usual, and shows the importance of effective, reliable and sustainable public transport for New Zealand’s fastest-growing city,” Cr Macpherson says.

The service will roll out of Frankton in Hamilton in mid-2020, will stop at a new platform at the Rotokauri hub near The Base before going onto Huntly and finally stopping in Papakura in Auckland, where passengers can change onto the Auckland rail metro or connecting bus services.

Planning for the hub was mooted almost 20 years ago and notified in the Rotokauri Structure Plan and District Plan in 2007 with funding being allocated in the 2018-28 10-Year Plan. The hub is an important part of planning effective future transport options to service the Rotokauri Growth Area and the wider city.

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