JOINT MEDIA RELEASE:
Auckland Regional Council
Auckland Regional Holdings
Auckland Regional Transport Authority

5 February, 2009

Electric Trains And Integrated Ticketing Safe

Auckland Regional Council, Auckland Regional Holdings and Auckland Regional Transport Authority met today to review options in light of the current economic climate.

“It will be a challenge, but we believe we can deliver on electric trains, electrification of Auckland’s rail system, and integrated ticketing,” said ARC Chairman Mike Lee.

“This will involve some re-phasing of other infrastructure projects but that is to be expected in the worldwide downturn that we are in.

“Having come up with a solution that will deliver electric trains, our next challenge is to ensure that we can deliver improvements to current public transport services.

“We are looking at a range of options on how far we can realistically go but need a little more time to review the detail.

“What I can say though is that we are committed to containing rates and controlling administration costs, particularly given the state of the economy.”

ARH Chair Judith Bassett said ARH is taking very seriously the challenges of the current environment.

“We must protect the future value of our assets while ensuring we support the development of Auckland infrastructure. It will be challenging but we are not alone in this and like others, will be monitoring the situation on a regular basis and taking immediate action if appropriate.”

ARTA Chairman Mark Ford said ARTA will work closely with the ARC to ensure Auckland’s transport system continues to develop and deliver for Aucklanders and visitors to the region.

“We are very pleased that we will be able to deliver on major transport initiatives. Over the coming weeks, we will look closely at what we can do to ensure the current transport system continues to develop and become more efficient.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media