Light rail going backwards

Newsroom reports:

Light rail along Auckland’s Dominion Rd is further behind than many might have thought, Dileepa Fonseka reports

Bids currently being considered for Auckland’s light rail project aren’t for a “specific solution” the Ministry of Transport’s CEO has said.

The CDPQ/NZ Infra consortium and NZTA submitted their competing bids for Auckland Light Rail last week but Ministry of Transport CEO Peter Mersi told a Transport and Infrastructure select committee on Thursday that the bids weren’t about routes or modes but the way the project would be administered.

“At this stage this process is about deciding who the preferred delivery partner will be not the specific solution.”

The revelation has taken commentators who have been watching the light rail saga by surprise. Greater Auckland editor Matt Lowrie said it was a “bizarre process”, urban geographer Ben Ross said “it seems the project is going in reverse”, while National Party Transport spokesman Chris Bishop said it was an indication that “we’re well away from actually building anything”. 

This is so Mickey Mouse.

Normally what you do is work out what you want, and then go out to tender to select a partner to build it.

This Government is selecting a partner to build something, and then once they selected them, will decide what that something is.