A while back I posted rough outlines of what an
Auckland waterfront and
Avondale to Onehunga tram line might look like on the ground, irrespective of the chances of these ever actually happening. As a natural next step, while the prospect of a proper light rail or tram network for public-transport-friendly Wellington seems unlikely at the moment thanks to the
skimping of the city's transport review, I thought I'd have a go at mapping out where the stops might be.
The first point to note is that rather than the usual idea of a Wellington Station to Airport route, I believe there are considerable advantages in extending the route north of the station into the light industrial area along Old Hutt Rd. This would permit less expensive land to be freed up for affordable park and ride facilities for drivers from Highway 1 and 2, allowing those commuters to leave their cars and ride into town on a speedy and reliable service without clogging the central city with traffic. Rail commuters on the existing lines could pick up the tram service in front of the station, and those in southern suburbs would also be able to make the journey to town or to the hospital in speed and comfort. Of course, this all presumes that money is no object, which it isn't! But it's nice to dream what we could achieve, isn't it?
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| Possible Wellington light rail route |
(The Google Maps link for the above map if you want more detail is
here). The line details below denote park and ride facilities at the three northern stops of Ngauranga, Onslow Rd and Kaiwharawhara. Due to the one-way street network, only the airport-bound tram service would stop outside Te Papa; the return service would stop on Wakefield St. As for the Basin Reserve, as money is no object, let's have a tunnel underneath!
2 comments:
Thanks Ethan. Always good to see another vote for modern tram/light rail!
The connection to InterIslander ferry is good, but wondering how you would make that connection from the Hutt Road to the ferry terminal? NZTA are planning a new off road ramp to the ferry terminal, but no improvement to non existent cycle, pedestrian facility to the CBD. I meet with CentrePort in December, but they will not consider providing 2-3 metres
for a cycle/walkway.
And I wonder why you did not choose a route under the airport, when there is already an existing tunnel off Coutts St?
Cr Paul Bruce
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment, and good luck in your campaign for a cycle/walkway. It makes good sense, given how shambolic the city-to-Petone route is at the moment.
I suspect the tramlink track would need to be along the Hutt Rd and use the existing pedestrian access as it's less than 150m from the Aotea Quay offramp, which is where the tramlink stop would be, to the ferry terminal. Here's hoping what little pedestrian access there currently is from Hutt Rd to the ferry terminal isn't disrupted by NZTA's plans.
That's a good point about the runway tunnel, which I had forgotten and haven't seen in person. It would improve rapid transit access for eastern Rongotai, at the expense of the stops on the fringes of Miramar (Cobham Dr & Airport Broadway). But on balance perhaps it would make sense to go that way, to maximise separation of the tramlink route from State Highway 1.
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