Light rail in Wellington

The city of Wellington, capital of New Zealand, is investigating light rail as a potential future transport option. The Wellington tramway system originally operated in the city from 1878 to 1964.

Background

In 2008, a feasibility study produced by Greater Wellington Regional Council, the "Ngauranga to Wellington Airport Corridor Plan",[1] outlined the possibility of light rail being used as a solution to link Wellington CBD to Wellington International Airport.

Following the 2010 mayoral elections, Mayor Celia Wade-Brown pledged to investigate light rail between Wellington station and the airport.[2][3] In August 2017 the Green Party updated its transport policy to introduce light rail from the city centre to Newtown by 2025 and the airport by 2027.[4] Mayor Justin Lester reaffirmed his support for light rail along the golden mile in 2018.[5] In May 2019, the light rail line formed part of a $6.4 billion transport package known as "Let's Get Wellington Moving" announced by Lester,[6] linking the city centre with the airport.

By 2020, no progress was made in planning of the system, however it was still included in the Green Party of New Zealand's transport policy.[7]

In 2022, the New Zealand government committed to an estimated NZ$7.4 billion project consisting of a light rail network running from the Wellington city centre to the south coast and to the airport, along with a second Mount Victoria Tunnel.[8][9] New Zealand's Finance Minister Grant Robertson stated that "the southern light rail option is our preferred choice for Wellington because of the significant potential it offers for new housing and neighborhood growth."

See also

References
  1. "Ngauranga to Wellington Airport Corridor Plan" (PDF). GWRC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  2. Nichols, Lane (18 October 2010). "Just how green will we go under Celia?". The Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  3. "New mayor's dream ride". The Dominion Post. 1 November 2010. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  4. "Greens plan light rail to Wellington Airport by 2027". 24 August 2017.
  5. Develin, Collette; Damian George (4 April 2018). "'Strong likelihood' of billion-dollar light rail system for Wellington, says mayor". The Dominion Post. Fairfax. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  6. "Mayor Justin Lester makes case for $6.4b Let's Get Wellington Moving project". 19 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  7. "Greens transport policy includes light rail for Wellington, and daily trains to the provinces". Wellington Scoop. 29 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  8. "NZ Government Backs Light Rail, New Tunnel for Wellington". Bloomberg. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  9. "NZ announces new light rail to south coast and tunnel for Wellington". Railway Technology. 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
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