ARTA welcomes next step in electrification project for Auckland
Tuesday 24 November 2009, 3:03PM
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The Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) welcomed the government’s announcement of $500m for Auckland’s electric trains today.
ARTA’s Chief Executive, Fergus Gammie said, “This is a very welcome announcement from the government. Electric trains are the next stage in the provision of a modern rail network for Aucklanders. The government’s announcement today will enable KiwiRail with ARTA to move forward with their Request for Proposal (RFP) for electric trains (EMUs) for Auckland.
Mr Gammie said, “Central government has made a sizeable investment in working to upgrade Auckland’s rail system. We continue to appreciate its support for the ever increasing numbers of Aucklanders who choose to use rail to get to work, school and leisure activities.
“We look forward to working with the Minister of Transport and KiwiRail to progress the project for Auckland, with electric trains running in 2013”, said Mr Gammie.