By Jamie Strange –Labour MP
It is with a great deal of excitement that I look forward to this year. Three key local projects will be progressed during 2019: improved transport links between Hamilton and Auckland, the final stage of the Hamilton Ring Road project, and the Hamilton-to-Auckland Corridor Plan.
The completion of both the Waikato Expressway and passenger rail service to Auckland in 2020 will add huge economic benefit to our region. It will provide people with a range of transport options to move around Waikato, encouraging a more diverse, multi-modal transport system.
I’m pleased NZTA have approved the business case for a Hamilton-to-Auckland passenger rail service. A key benefit will be productivity: people will be able to board the train, open their laptop and start working. Other advantages are reliability of arrival time, reduced road congestion, and improved access to job markets.
This coalition-Government is committed to investing close to $4 billion in public transport, rapid transit and metro rail across New Zealand. Investing in public transport is a key to managing growth and shaping our towns and cities.
The rail service will stop in Hamilton at Frankton and The Base in Rotokauri, before going onto Huntly, and finally stopping in Papakura, where passengers can change onto the Auckland public transport network. Future stops may include Te Kauwhata, Pokeno and Tuakau. A new station, including a platform and park and ride parking area, will be created as part of the Rotokauri rail stop, and the Huntly platform will be upgraded.
The second key project will be the beginning of the final stage of the Hamilton Ring Road project. This includes the 400m section between Cambridge Road and Cobham Drive, to be completed in 2020, and a bridge over the Waikato River near Hamilton Gardens, which will be completed in 2022. This infrastructure will unlock 8400 sections in the Peacocke area for Hamilton’s future housing needs. This has been a collaboration between Hamilton City Council, NZTA, and the coalition-Government.
Hamilton City Council has secured $290 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund, consisting of a $180 million 10-year interest-free loan, and $110 million in NZTA subsidies, for the development of infrastructure into and within the Peacocke suburb. These works tie into the Southern Links designations and integrate with the Cobham Drive/Wairere Drive interchange.
The third key project is the Hamilton-to-Auckland Corridor Plan. When I was first elected to Parliament, I met with local mayors, CEs, and their teams around the topic of economic growth in our region. Since that meeting we have been collaborating with the coalition-Government around planning residential, commercial, industrial, and tourism development in the geographic corridor between Cambridge/Te Awamutu and the Bombay Hills. This will be a key growth area in years to come, and it’s important that the growth is smart, strategic, and intentional. More information will emerge around this work in the coming months.
These three projects, along with others, will ensure the continued growth of our region, creating uplift for everyone.
