New Zealand Government has launched the procurement process on Auckland light rail project, which covers both the city to Mangere and the city to North West lines. The Transport Agency will now set up a robust process to explore a range of possible procurement, financing and project delivery options. This process will invite and assess all potential proposals and report back to the Ministers of Finance and Transport.
Under the recently announced 10-year transport plan for Auckland NZD 1.8 billion (EUR 1 billion) was earmarked in seed funding with the option of securing private investment in the network.
“The Government is committed to progressing light rail to transform Auckland. It will be a magnet for private investment in urban renewal and will be able to carry 11,000 commuters per hour – the equivalent of four lanes of motorway,” Transport Minister Phil Twyford said.
Last month, the New Zealand Super Fund proposed to form an international consortium to design, build and operate Auckland’s light rail network. On 9 May, the Fund conformed the unsolicited proposal to the Government offering to assess the viability of the Auckland LRT project for commercial investment.
“We wish to explore whether a NZ Super Fund-led consortium leveraging our international relationships can fund and deliver the project, on a fully commercial basis,” Acting Chief Executive Matt Whineray said.
The Super Fund has identified as its potential partner CDPQ Infra, subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, responsible for developing and operating infrastructure projects. The NZ Super Fund understands and respects the Government’s need to run a procurement process and looks forward to further engagement with the NZ Transport Agency.
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