5 MOTORWAYS

A “modern” train service for Auckland was first seriously debated in 1923.

It’s extraordinary but the idea of a such a service was still being debated in 1950.

In 1950, a report authored by Halcrow-Thomas gave a strong recommendation for a modern rail service.The next Auckland mayor, John Luxford -typically a one term mayor, said “Great idea!”

But Auckland councils could only see a love affair with cars and it was time to talk of building the motorways of dreams:

The council agreed on a grandiose-sounding Master Transportation Plan which boosted motorways over railways.

Colourful Mayor Robbie – one Sir Dove-Myer Robinson- who held the reins from 1959 to 1965 and from 1968 to 1980,is now remembered for his rapid rail vision for the city.
A report in 1965 named after the American firm’s authors De Leuw Cather once again suggested modern rail and at first the council thought it sounded exciting.
But as always in Auckland, the battle raged over who was going to pay – in those days a costly-sounding $42m.

Mayor Robbie pushed on with his call. His vision was to have rail as the backbone of the region’s public transport with buses connecting to train stations and feeding the local areas.

In 1968 he was appointed to the powerful Auckland Regional Authority transit committee but the chairman and well-known All Blacks official, Tom Pearce , led opposition to Robbie’s call for the expensive rail scheme.

Robbie became isolated on the issue and motorways took precedence.

The rail opportunity was lost.

The car ruled in Auckland, driven by the growth of the region’s sprawl encouraged by the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in 1959, opening up easy access to the North Shore .
On the opening day, people were allowed to walk the bridge.

1959 bridge opening |Dennis Hamblin, from North Shore Libraries Photograph Archive

Aucklanders again walked across the bridge one Sunday morning May 23, 2009 as a protest against debate about opening up the bridge to walk and cycleways being stalled.

HISTORY PART 6- RAIL DECLINES
previous part 4