The Government agency, which itself has access to a limited funding pool, is understood to be championing the project’s cause directly with the Government.
Ports of Auckland’s plan entails developing five hectares of adjacent Ontrack land to enable the currently 10-hectare and 35,000-teu-per-year facility to provide a nightly 20- or 25- wagon rake connection to the seaport.
The port company had previously gained endorsement for the development from both the Auckland Regional Council and Auckland Regional Transport Authority – including an independent report from the latter indicating its high benefit-cost ratio.
However,the port company says it needs Government funding in the short-term to ensure it can develop and operate the facility in a sustainable manner. Ports of Auckland Jens Madsen says the project is “pretty hard to walk away from.
“Our carbon footprint will be cut down, because we will be taking truck kilometres off roads,” he says. “The benefits are very tangible indeed. We are one of the only companies – if not the only one – that can do this on this type of scale and make short-haul railfreight viable in Auckland.”