24 Nov 2010

Report tips big benefits for rail tunnel

7:40 pm on 24 November 2010

A rail tunnel under downtown Auckland, costing almost $2 billion, would deliver significant benefits, says a report by Auckland Transport and KiwiRail.

The report says streets in the downtown area will not be able to handle future traffic growth without the tunnel and its three stations.

The tunnel would run from the Britomart terminus parallel to Queen Street, with trains travelling in a loop before rejoining the existing lines near Mt Eden.

The report says by 2041, an extra 65,000 people will travel into the central business district each day. It says the project could be completed within 10 years.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown says a start should be made immediately. He says he has not yet discussed the matter with the Government, which is expected to be a major funder of the project.