On-board tram plan

RHIANNON HORRELL

GEOFF Houtman is not short of ambition to improve Auckland's transport.

Confirmation of heritage tram plans for Wynyard Quarter has inspired the western bays advocate to propose an extension to the circuit.

The Auckland Regional Council is backing a tourist-focused tram loop to be built in time for the Rugby World Cup.

This will see trams from either Motat or on loan from Melbourne make a circuit around Gateway Plaza, Jellicoe, Halsey, Gaunt and Beaumont streets.

Construction and management is being carried out by Motat and ARC subsidiary Sea+City.

But Mr Houtman says a Wynyard to Wynyard loop won't do.

"Wynyard Wharf will have hundreds of millions of dollars poured into it and if it's only connected to itself it's a waste of money. The rectangle proposal imagines that people will walk to the tram and go round the block on it to look at silos," he says.

"Common sense dictates folks will save time by not walking there in the first place."

Mr Houtman is proposing an extended tram line could run up Quay, Sturdee, Fanshawe and Gaunt streets – where it would connect with the Wynyard circuit, run up College Hill, along Ponsonby Rd, Williamson Ave and Great North Rd to connect with the Motat line.

"No one in this town has a vision. I've got nothing to lose. If there was a tram going up College Hill in 1902, then in 2010 it shouldn't be that hard. With the upcoming amalgamation, everyone wants to leave legacy projects. This would be one."

He estimates his plan would cost about $26 million and take in about 15 tourist attractions.

But Sea+City project director John Dalzell feels Mr Houtman's plans are premature.

"There is limited time to get this done and we are focused on that. Our system will be able to link into other things. The first priorities are short-term targets rather than getting ahead of ourselves."

Regional council chairman Mike Lee says many people have had big ideas about extending the tramway.

"They have inevitably failed because they are too ambitious. To be honest, I'm not taking him very seriously."

Mr Lee says if Mr Houtman can find suitable funding and gain support from the multitude of transport and local agencies, that's fine.

"In the meantime we will stick to the modest tramway proposal. Talk is cheap. We have to start small and take it from there."

City council transport committee chairman Ken Baguley says a central city rail loop would better suit Auckland's future.

"The CBD rail loop will underpin the system and is needed. It would double the capacity of trains using Britomart."

He says if this is installed under Albert, Pitt and Symonds streets, continuing on to Mt Eden, then "what's the sense of having old trams trundling along?"

"There needs to be planned transport around the CBD loop and this will link to Wynyard Quarter."

Motat tramway manager Colin Zeff declined to comment on Mr Houtman's idea.

- © Fairfax NZ News