The ARTA Years 2004 – 2010 - Auckland Transport

Some marked improvements were under way: the opening of Britomart in 2003 and investment in rail infrastructure
and services, upgrading ferry services and terminals, the early stages of the Northern Busway project and increased
frequencies of bus services. These had led to an increase of 15% in the use of public transport between 2001 and 2005.
The main limitations of the transport network were:
q
q
q
q
q
q
Lack of integration between the three modes of transport, bus, rail and ferry, resulting in duplicated services
While bus coverage appeared extensive it was focused on travel to the CBD and services were infrequent,
with 75% operating fewer than three buses per hour. There were over 450 routes but around 90% of them
were peak-time only. The emphasis on direct services resulted in long, inefficient bus routes rather than
efficient transfers. Bus services didn’t match the public’s needs and often they were in direct competition with
train services
While the rail network had improved with refurbished trains and higher frequency, rail had limited coverage
with less than 15% of Auckland’s population living within 800m of a train station
Too many competing fares. Users of the transport system had over 100 fare products to choose from,
with different fares for bus and train journeys and fare stages every three to five kms. Services and
timetables were generally planned separately, with competition between private operators discouraging
integrated services.
The development of unsustainable features such as diesel powered trains
Lack of supporting facilities such as transport interchanges, high-quality stations, information and bus priority
measures.
Less than 15% of Auckland’s population lived within 800m of a train station in 2006. The new Grafton Station was moved to a more convenient
location and since it opened earlier this year has already attracted 45% more patronage than the Boston Road Station that it replaced.
6