Christchurch Public Transport Futures

Key Facts

1. WSP led the development of two business cases to increase public transport use in Greater Christchurch.
2. WSP took a customer-centric approach to fully understand the needs of the people of Christchurch, and barriers to public transport use.
3. MRT recommendations include consideration of Effective Job Densities within each rail corridor and how this might stimulate land value change.

Responding to the growth of Christchurch

Public transport will play key role in realising the visionary future of Christchurch. The Southern city aspires to be liveable and low-carbon, with good transport choices and strong economic performance.

Waka Kotahi engaged WSP, supported by Aurecon, Boffa Miskell and QTP, to develop two business cases for investment to increase the mode share of the public transport network in Greater Christchurch. Governance and oversight of this was provided via the Greater Christchurch Partnership, and through the Waka Kotahi Board. The first business case recommended a programme of improvements to increase the uptake of public transport over the next decade. The second business case has a longer-term focus and considers the role of mass rapid transit in Greater Christchurch, and work on this is ongoing.

Taking a customer centric approach

WSP took a customer-centric focus to fully understand the needs and wants of the people of Greater Christchurch as well as the existing barriers to public transport use.

Public transport is highly dependent on the integration with current and future land use patterns. WSP worked closely with Council’s urban development planners, sub-consultants Boffa Miskell, and our own experts to optimise the network, integrate with existing transport systems and projects and identify future development risk and opportunities in a selection of short-listed options.

Working towards a single, shared vision

Stakeholder management was also key; WSP worked closely with the different organisations in the Greater Christchurch Partnership to identify and resolve issues early, so all parties were working towards a shared goal. All councils endorsed the PT Futures Foundations and Rest of Network Combined Business Case and adopted its recommendations in their respective Long Term Plan.

Investigating rapid transit options

In the second business case WSP explored likely outcomes and objectives for mass rapid transit (MRT) in Greater Christchurch, aligning with the Spatial Plan development. WSP investigated three rapid transit scenarios within the northern and south-western corridors. These scenarios were selected to balance access to the rapid transit system, against the competitiveness of the system against private vehicles.

1. A heavy rail scenario – with limited stop opportunities but very competitive travel times
2. A street running scenario with limited stops that focuses on competitive travel times and generally follows the motorway corridors
3. A street running scenario with more frequent stops that focuses on more households within the walk-up catchment, at expense of travel time competitiveness

WSP assessed the impact of MRT on Effective Job Densities with each corridor and how this might stimulate land value change, as well as how land value change could impact market appetite from growth within the corridor. Our work recommended adjusted land growth forecast for the city based on MRT intervention.

The Benefits

The two business cases provide a compelling case for investment in creating a transport system for Greater Christchurch now and into the future. WSP’s collaborative and integrated approach ensured that the current barriers to public transport use are recognised, mitigated, and support planned population and economic growth. The investment case is prioritised, fundable and offers a strong value proposition, aligned with the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport.

Theunis van Schalkwyk
Technical Director Transport

Theunis has 26 years of experience in the development and planning of large scale and complex urban infrastructure projects gained by working in both private and public-sector organisations.

He brings to his experience gained over the last decade to large major transport projects in Aotearoa, including developing proposals for public transport projects that integrate with existing and planned land use across a range of modes.

These include setting the pathway for Auckland’s Rapid Transit Network (RTN), Christchurch’s Public Transport Future and an indicative way forward for inter-regional rail between Hamilton and Auckland.

Skills that Theunis brings to WSP projects include:

• Project director for the development and analysis of multiple RTS and PT network business cases
• Programme business case development for integrated transport solutions, including mass rapid transit and state highway improvements, resulting in fundable programmes / initiatives
• Forming and leading high-performance teams to deliver business cases, preliminary designs and planning approvals for complex urban projects.
• Relationship management with political and stakeholder organisations resulting in them developing a thorough understanding of the project drivers and championing the recommended way forward in their respective spheres of influence
• Indicative business case development for rapid transit corridors and public transit improvements for various modes (rail, light-rail, BRT and core bus routes)
• Integrated network development planning and integration with adjacent land use resulting in holistic programme development for corridors ad areas
• Demand analyses for network solutions based on existing and forecast land use scenarios.