Auckland CRL to start two years earlier?
Stuff reports:
Prime Minister John Key is expected to announce the Government will help fund Auckland’s $2.5 billion inner city rail link two years earlier than originally promised.
It’s understood the PM will make the commitment in a speech to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce on January 27.
The City Rail Link will join up Auckland’s train network, allowing for double the number of trains and passengers and making rail a more attractive alternative to driving on the city’s congested roads.
In 2013, the government agreed it would jointly fund the CRL with Auckland Council, but said it would provide its share in 2020.
It’s capital expenditure, so if true, won’t affect the surplus. But where will the money come from? Will it be funded by the land transport fund, or be additional on top of that?