Wood said the last government was dismissive of investments in rail, leaving Labour to make up for decades of under-investment. "Our government inherited a rail network that was in a state of managed decline, that had been left to go to rack and ruin by the previous government," he said. He described the state of the rail network as "neglected", saying the government was working hard with KiwiRail and Auckland Transport to deliver the project, on time and on budget. Michael Wood says it is better to have short-term disruption rather than let work drag on for "years and years". "We can either bite the bullet and get on and make sure we get that maintenance done, or we could make it slower and drag it out over years and years," he said. Wood said the projects were part of the government's commitment to providing better transport options for Aucklanders, defending the disruption they would cause in the short-term. This year, there will be rolling closures on three major Auckland train lines. There was shock among commuters and businesses last October when it was announced several train routes would be temporarily closed this year.Ī major rebuild on foundations underneath railway lines means everyone will be steered toward buses for several months at a time over the next two years. Surrounding it will be a new electrified train line, which will carry passengers from Pukekohe into the Auckland CBD. The construction of a new housing development just out of Pukekohe will be the size of Dunedin and the Paerātā station will accommodate commuters. It is one of the biggest investment projects in Auckland. Renovations and an upgrade at Pukekohe station and the southern line will mean a direct journey into the city, something Wood said was long overdue. The minister received a guided tour of the south Auckland sites on Monday to see first-hand the work that was being done. The government is investing more than $1.5 billion in upgrades to Auckland's rail network, with two of the key projects unfolding in southern Auckland - extending the existing electrified metro network 19km from Papakura to Pukekohe and building three new stations. Transport Minister Michael Wood says Auckland's rail network is "neglected". One of the sites in south Auckland visited by Transport Minister Michael Wood.
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