Auckland’s light rail issues can be easily, quickly, and cheaply solved

The New Zealand Herald has rightly argued that the Labour Government's Auckland light rail plan is facing huge hurdles to get back on track. It notes that the cost of light rail has soared from $2.3b to up to $15b.

Since being elected on a promise of light rail, Labour has already spent $35m of taxpayer money producing absolutely no results. In response, the Government changed the Minister in charge, and has gone back to the drawing board. It has set up an establishment unit to decide the mode, route, and cost estimates for an indicative business case for Cabinet within six months. In other words, everything. They are literally starting again from scratch. That is $35m that taxpayers will never get back.

There is little faith outside of Cabinet that the Light Rail v2.0 will go any better. Priding itself on being a caring organisation, the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has stepped in with a bold plan.

We commit to delivering exactly the same outcomes on Auckland Light Rail for the price of a sausage roll.

Here are the key points of the plan developed by our sausage roll loving analyst Neil Miller:

• We will deliver 0.00mm of light rail track, easily matching the last three years record.
• Construction costs will be eliminated because there will be no construction.
• Valuable resources will be freed up to actually fix Queen Street.
  Consultation, which produced more problems than it solved last time, will not be necessary.
• Equally, consultants will not be required. PWC partners may have to downgrade their new yachts.
• There will be no legal expenses because: No Taxpayer Money = No Lawyers.
  Vast numbers of New Zealand Transport Agency staff will be freed up to work on projects which build transport things.

Our economist has costed this plan at between $1.70 (Big Ben Sausage Roll) and $6.60 (I Love Pies Sausage Roll).Transport Minister Michael Wood, you are most welcome.