- Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson called the public release of a report on the City Rail Link a “cock-up”.
- The report revealed a lack of confidence in French contractor VINCI Grand Projects’ forecasts for the $5.5 billion project.
- Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown remain committed to holding all parties accountable to deliver the project on time and budget.
The public release of a report that revealed a lack of confidence in a French construction firm’s forecasts on the $5.5 billion City Rail Link was a complete mistake, says Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson.
“It was a cock-up. It wasn’t intended for the public agenda,” Wilson said.
The Herald reported last week that French construction executives are flying to New Zealand over fears of time and cost blowouts for New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure project.
The report revealed alarm bells have gone off with the body set up to run the project expressing a lack of confidence in the main contractor’s forecasts, and taking concerns to the highest political levels.
Like a chump I did what I was supposed to do.
I rented near transport routes and didn’t buy a car.
Like a chump.
Dear Auckland Transport – Auckland hates you.
Like a chump, I moved near a train station so my Daughter could catch the train to school.
Then you shut down the Station for 4 years – hilariously my Daughter will graduate before the fucking Train Station opens.
Like a chump.
Then you cut services…
City Rail Link: Aucklanders warned of disruption as near 100-day rail network closure revealed
…raised fares…
Auckland public transport fares to increase by 5.2% on average from February
…all while casually fucking over the entire public transport users of Auckland, so words that this bloody great big hole in the ground that is now 4 years overdue won’t be ready by 2026 doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.
For me the City Rail Link is a bit like the second Harbour Bridge crossing, in that I will be dead before it ever gets built.
I don’t know who to blame anymore, The French, Auckland Council, Wayne Brown, Auckland Transport or Simeon Brown.
No one seems to actually be in charge and no one seems to be accountable.
Auckland Central has been killed by the City Rail Loop and after all this time I’m not even sure there will be a City to come back to.
We seem incapable of building anything any more.
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“We seem incapable of building anything any more.”
Or doing a whole bunch of things. When did the rot set in?
Around the same time as the got rid of the font of civil engineering knowledge that was known as the Ministry of Works that offered free & frank advice to the govt of the day.
Knowledge that had been built up over the previous generations all flushed done the dunny in the head long rush to hand it over to private enterprise…ya know they are much better at milking the taxpayer!
The picture says it all .Two lunatics trying to run the asylum .These two make dumb and dumber look really intelligent .
The only thing they will be holding is each others cock
Any picture of Simpleton Brown and his father should scare people. It’s akin to them believing they will succeed as Wile E. Coyote did with Road Runner.
Philomena Cunk says it best:
“ trains use up less resources than other forms of transport because they tend to be cancelled, which is better for the planet. This means people can get on buses instead, and take up space on the roads, which encourages more people to leave their cars at home and get the train, which they can’t, because there isn’t one.”
I mean when you hire ‘Grands Projets’ you can hardly complain that nothing gets delivered. You can expect that from the name.
Pee Wee Brown and “Browny” Brown–a pair of Clowns–is one thing that can be said with assurance, no wait time required there.
Despondency is no fun but I agree with Martyn on this one. Auckland got too big without a corresponding increase in public participation and infrastructure–voting tops out at about 38% in recent years–dorklanders don’t know and largely don’t seem to care. The Supercity was a corporate model designed by neo liberals to shut out the people, and it remains hilarious that Len Brown wiped the floor with Banksie, but nonetheless it has been an abject failure overall.
I lived there for 27 years and it was a great place in the 70s to early 90s, apart from the mirror glass vandals of the 80s of course. But really the joints growth should be capped for a while with “Closed” signs put up.
Don’t hear a lot of criticism from the right whingers over this.
Gone fairly quiet in the last year. Even the wanna be Natzo Indian who was on TV most of the past 3 years has shut up.
Why, because this is a legacy project of John Keys and Stephen Joyce.
Even the 2 Brownies are relatively circumspect.
I believe the original budget was less than $3b. Just like Transmission Gully and Jonkey highway. Ginormous fuckups from Key and his acolytes.
Now let’s talk about the replacement for the Manawatu Gorge, seems like that is all ticketyboo. Wonder who oversaw that deal and is managing it. Don’t see PPP involved.
Having more than one flag doesn’t make what they are saying any more sensible.
One flag, to the side so that we can see the stars of the Southern Cross properly, is far preferable to this mishmash with the Union Jack prominent.
I guess the French Building Company is on a fixed price contract and will complete the project for the agreed price but just a little bit late 😉
I think they made a change to a Station name so the fixed price goes out the window
Well at least you have trains. We haven’t seen a train in Westport in months. Not since the tunnel collapsed and we are still waiting for the repairs since June.
How long has Auck been waiting for this? 50 years?
Your tunnel collapse will be the excuse they wanted to dump that service. Sadly.
So much for local councils having more autonomy this was one of the National parties’ policies for councils to have and maintain control over their water and other assets.
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