1 Apr 2020

Light rail and rapid transit in Auckland's plans to get city out of recession

7:02 am on 1 April 2020

Light rail and a rapid transit system are among the Auckland's mayor's top priorities to get the city out of a Covid-19 recession.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook

The government has tasked a group of infrastructure leaders to look at projects nation-wide to alleviate the economic impact of the virus.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff said the city was ready to present a number of options, including more cycleways and an electrified bus fleet.

He said they could also do with local roads in new housing developments, and bringing forward the separation of wastewater from stormwater.

"With a backlog of infrastructure projects which lagged behind and have constricted growth in Auckland, we can provide Ministers with projects that can get off the ground quickly," he said.

"We will provide a smorgasbord of projects that can start quickly and which align with the government's economic, social and environmental objectives."

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