A General and a suggested economic appraisal of rapid transit in Auckland - 1970 (with particular reference to a cost-benefit analysis)

Abstract

The Auckland urban area's transportation needs have been the subject of much discussion and investigation in recent years. The Auckland Rapid Rail Symposium of August, 1969 was typical of this state of affairs. Partly as a consequence of this symposium , investigations as to the feasibility of a rapid transit system (specifically rapid rail transit) were re-opened after a lapse of approximately six years had not seen any positive action to implement the recommendations contained in the De Leuw Cather report , “A Regional Transit Plan”. The Minister of Finance, R. D. Muldoon, stipulated in his opening address to the symposium that a prior condition for Government financial assistance in respect to the capital cost of a transit system, was that a cost-benefit analysis should be undertaken in conjunction with the technical and planning investigations. At the same symposium, J. T. Ward presented a paper suggesting broad guidelines and an indication of the approach that would be appropriate to such an economic analysis.