31 years for Auckland light rail to reduce emissions

Simeon Brown writes:

Finally, the project is dubbed as reducing Auckland’s carbon emissions from transportation. While this is a significant problem, a light rail is a very expensive solution.

The preferred option of the Light Rail Establishment Unit is option two – a tunnelled light rail that is anticipated to reduce carbon emissions by 980,000 tonnes over its lifetime.

Unfortunately, carbon neutrality will only be reached by 2053 after taking into account the carbon emitted in the construction of the project.

Overall this amounts to approximately $16,000 per tonne of carbon saved and will only reduce emissions by 4.5 days’ worth of NZ’s current emissions output.

The Government could spend the same amount of money and buy every voter in the Auckland Central, Mt Albert, Mt Roskill and Māngere Electorates a Tesla Model 3 and achieve a better reduction in carbon emissions.

The Auckland Light Rail project appears to be a solution looking for a problem.

Some alternative solutions I suggest are; building a rail spur from Puhinui to the airport to connect our airport with the main rail line; planning for a second harbour crossing to give more resilience to our city’s transport network and more public transport options for the North Shore; completing the Eastern Busway; and building a busway to the west to give more public transport choices to other parts of Auckland.

Much better ideas