Opposition parties are putting pressure on the Government to help fund the Auckland rail link earlier than the 2020 date it has committed to.
On Wednesday it was confirmed that the Government and the Auckland Council would jointly fund the $2.86 billion cost of the 3.5km tunnel in downtown Auckland.
The 3.5km rail tunnel runs from Britomart to Newton. Photo: AUCKLAND TRANSPORT
Under the Government's proposal, construction won't begin until 2020 and it will announce on Friday how much money it is prepared to contribute to the project.
The Auckland Council wants to start building in 2015 and the project is expected to take five or six years to complete.
The Labour Party said on Thursday the Government is holding back Auckland's growth by delaying the start of the rail link, when it could be funded now and in service by 2020.
The Green Party says government spending should be re-prioritised and the rail link built to significantly cut travel times for Aucklanders.
But Associate Transport Minister Michael Woodhouse, answering questions from the parties in Parliament on Thursday, said no government has done more to advance Auckland's interests than the current one by investing in the city's road and rail.
Businesses are also calling for construction to be pushed forward. Vada Hair Salon is next to Beresford Square where one of the new stations will be based.
Salon director Guy Roberts said the link is great news "because it will make us feel like we're a real city - and I think we need to be a real city. I feel like it's taken too long. We need more trains, we need more buses, we need more public transport, we need less roads - so it's good. I think it should happen sooner."
Earlier, Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee said new analysis on the rail link helped the Government decide when it would commit funding to the project.
Mr Brownlee said the Government always said it would do its own analysis on the project. He said the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has also been looking at Auckland's future transport flows and its position has been changing as well.
However, the Labour Party's Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford said the only new analysis is of polling that shows Aucklanders, including the business community, want the rail link.
Prime Minister John Key said on Thursday that the NZTA initially opposed the rail project, fearing that it would conflict with spending on roads, but said the agency now feels it is inevitable and Auckland can't afford it without the Government's help.
Mr Key says he expects that the Government will foot half the bill, but doesn't believe the money should come out of the Land Transport Fund.
