AT: Reintroducing light rail

The first electric trams were introduced to Dominion Road in 1902, providing residents with access to and from downtown Auckland. During the 1950's New Zealand's infrastructure heavily favoured the automobile, and in 1956, Auckland's tram network was shut down, despite carrying over 80 million passengers a year; a stunning feat given Auckland's population at the time was only 300,000 (Lee, 2015). In hindsight, this proved to be a disastrous decision. Favouring the automobile over the years has resulted in massive expanses of concrete infrastructure that are, on a good day, pushed to their limits, and regularly beyond. From the North Shore of Auckland, hour and a half commutes are now the norm.

As traffic gets increasingly gridlocked, alternatives are being explored in earnest. A proposed light rail transit (LRT) system is being considered for Dominion road. It aims to provide an attractive transport option for residents of surrounding suburbs, and will decrease travel time significantly. I will also link into the revamped bus network being rolled out city-wide.

Lee,M. (2015). Trams to make a comeback? - Auckland's 21st century light rail future. Retrieved from http://www.mikelee.co.nz/2015/05/trams-to-make-a-comeback-aucklands-21st-century-light-rail-future/