Fleeting mentions in both the last Government’s long-term transport plan and the government-in-waiting’s transport policy are not seen as game over for those backing Christchurch’s public transport overhaul.
National’s $24 billion transport policy, Transport for the Future, includes the reallocation of $1.5b from public transport infrastructure to its Roads of National Significance plan.
But the project overview did not feature the region’s flagship public transport project, public transport Futures,which includes the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) proposal. The overview’s ‘Better Public Transport’ plank only encompasses North Island projects: a rapid transit network for Auckland and upgrades to Lower North Island train services.
