6. Question No. 6—TransportHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 6—Transport6. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of Transport: What progress has been made on delivering the Auckland Transport Alignment Project?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport): I'm advised that excellent progress has been made implementing the Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP). The $28 billion investment plan—agreed with Auckland Council—is the largest 10-year transport programme in the city's history. I'm advised that progress includes 15 new electric train carriages ordered with the first units expected this year; construction has commenced on the Panmure to Pakuranga busway; the Northern Busway extension has been contracted; Crown Infrastructure Partners have unlocked 9000 new houses at Milldale through a $90 million infrastructure partnership; the business case for the eastern airport access and design work is under way; planning for a new greenfield development that will account for more than 30 percent of Auckland's growth is progressing on the basis of transport connections included in ATAP; widening of the Southern Motorway is under way; the consultation on Mill Road has been completed and Auckland Transport (AT) and the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) are considering proposals as we speak; and the business case for Penlink has been completed and is now with Auckland Transport.Hon Paul Goldsmith: What's his response to Shane Ellison CEO of Auckland Transport who has written to NZTA outlining concerns that five critical ATAP projects are being held up because business cases and funding requests are not being approved in a timely way."?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Our Government wants to see transport projects rolled out as quickly as possible and I'm aware of the longstanding concerns that local government have about the time it takes for transport projects to come to fruition. I've instructed the board of NZTA that the agency should work closely with local and regional councils including Auckland Transport to clear away any obstacles to rolling out our transport programme.Hon Paul Goldsmith: What are the five critical projects that Mr Ellison is concerned about?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: You'll have to ask Mr Ellison that.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Is he telling the House that the CEO of AT has written saying that five critical transport projects in Auckland are being held up because of his key Government agency and he's not across it to the extent that he knows what those five are?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: So for the member's information the five are according to the letter from Auckland Transport: the Wellesley Street bus improvements the Papakura to Pukekohe electrification the Matiātia landside transport networks strategic case the Puhinui Interchange and the Huapai road upgrade.Jami-Lee Ross: What progress has been made on a Botany to Manukau busway—Hon Paul Goldsmith: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. He seemed to be quoting from an official document I would ask—SPEAKER: No he was quoting from a letter; the member knew that. The member asked him to quote from the letter and he did. It is not an official document.Jami-Lee Ross: What progress has been made on a Botany to Manukau busway since I last questioned him on this transport project in February this year?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Early scoping work is under way for the airport to Manukau Puhinui and further up into east Auckland—the rapid transit connection. That part of Auckland is perhaps the worst served for public transport services of any other part of the city and the early planning on that suggests that a rapid transit connection—likely to be bus rapid transit with a possibility of upgrading to rail—would connect the airport with Manukau the Puhinui station on the heavy rail line and further up to Flat Bush and up to Howick.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Is Shane Ellison correct to assume that ATAP will struggle to receive 50 percent funding from NZTA due to the National Land Transport Fund being oversubscribed and therefore there is likely to be a funding shortfall for ATAP projects?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: No in that respect Mr Ellison is not correct. Our Government's putting more money into the National Land Transport Programme in this three-year period than has ever happened before. I want to quote Shane Ellison who said also that "The good news is for the first time we've got alignment on a whole lot of programmes and work [and] now we're trying to crack on with delivery"."