44 Bowen Street
Private Bag 6995
a-
Wellington 6141
New Zealand
T 64 4 894 5400
F 64 4 894 6100
www.nzta.govt.nz
13 February 2025
Mike Mellor
[FYI request #29672 email]
REF: OIA-17287 and OIA-17402
Dear Mike
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982
Thank you for your emails requesting information regarding bus travel time savings referred to in Hon
Simeon Brown’s press release of 5 November 2024 under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
I will address each of your requests in turn below.
Email of 21 December 2024
(…)
To clarify, I confirm my request for all information relating to the bus time savings attributable
to the relevant improvements, as given in your press release, exclusive of the contributions
from any other source such as the unspecified items included in the savings given in MIN-
4667.
I would also like to add a request for the link to your press release as revised to incorporate
any necessary corrections.
On 16 January 2025, your request was transferred from the Office of Hon Simeon Brown to NZ
Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) as the subject is more closely connected with our functions.
The bus travel time savings figures quoted in Hon Simeon Brown’s press release are the results from
the transport modelling conducted for the State Highway 1 (SH1) Wellington improvements project.
The raw outputs from the modelling relevant to your request has been extracted and enclosed in the
table appended to this letter.
The transport models themselves comprise large mathematical datasets, which run on specialist
software. The modelling was conducted for NZTA by the Wellington Transport Analytics Unit using a
range of industry standard models. This includes the Wellington Transport Strategy Model, which uses
the EMME software, and a specific project model developed using the AIMSUN software.
Information about the development of these transport models can be found online at:
https://wellingtontransportanalytics.co.nz/project/transport-model-updates.
As advised by Hon Simeon Brown, the travel time savings figures in MIN-4667 were transposed and
this error was discovered during the preparation of the press release. For the avoidance of doubt, the
figures in the press release are therefore accurate and there was no correction made to the press
release once issued on 5 November 2024.
Email of 2 January 2025
Re NZTA document MIN 4667 SH1 Wellington improvements dated 10 October 2024, which
defines those improvements as "the Second Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve Upgrade
including the Terrace Tunnel duplication", I request the following information:
1. Bus travel time savings
A bullet point on the third page says the following:
"SH1 Wellington improvements are forecast to contribute to the 11 minutes of travel time
savings for Bus Route 1 in the AM peak between Island Bay and the city centre. SH1
Wellington improvements to the east of Mt Victoria Tunnel are forecast to contribute to the 9
minutes of travel time savings for Bus Route 2 in the AM peak between Miramar and the city
centre."
For each of these savings, I request the following information:
- all projects contributing to these savings;
- for each of those projects:
-- details of that project;
-- the savings contributed by that project;
-- the status of that project.
Please also let me have the same information for Bus Route 2 savings arising from the
specified SH1 improvements, in addition to those arising from improvements to their east.
2. Plan of the improvements
I request a copy of Appendix A, including the plan showing the specified improvements, as
referred to in a bullet point on the second page.
To reiterate, the estimated future travel time savings quoted in Hon Simeon Brown’s press release are
attributable to the SH1 Wellington improvements project. This project has been identified in the
Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS 2024) as a Road of National Significance
(RoNS), to unlock economic growth in the Wellington region.
Funding for the pre-implementation phase (investigation and design) has been included in the National
Land Transport Programme 2024-27. The scope of this project endorsed by the NZTA Board in
October 2024 includes:
• A duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel
• A duplicate Terrace Tunnel
• Improvements to the Basin Reserve, with grade separation between SH1 and local roads,
which will be achieved through an extension of the Arras Tunnel and moving the westbound
SH1 traffic to the northern side of the Basin Reserve. Local traffic, including public transport,
will pass over SH1 on the western side of the Basin Reserve.
• Supporting improvements along the remainder of the SH1 corridor through Wellington,
including the section to the east of the Mt Victoria Tunnel.
With all of the improvements listed above, our modelling indicates
9 minutes of travel time savings for
bus route 1 in the morning peak between Island Bay and the city centre, and
11 minutes of travel time
savings for bus route 2 in the morning peak between Miramar and the city centre. These savings are
the benefits from improved efficiencies along SH1 corridor and around the Basin Reserve for general
traffic, which in turn reduces peak time congestion on surrounding local roads and reduces bus travel
times. The travel time savings for bus route 2 also assume these buses will be rerouted through the
new Mt Victoria tunnel.
These estimated travel time savings are based on transport modelling conducted for the project during
the initial planning phase. The project team is now working to progress the various components of the
design to maximise the travel time savings and improve reliability for those travelling through
Wellington. Further details of the route design for SH1 Wellington improvements project will be
confirmed through the investment case, which is expected to be considered by the NZTA Board in
mid-2025.
With regard to your request for a copy of Appendix A to MIN-4667, I am withholding it in full under
section 9(2)(ba)(ii) of the Act to protect information which is subject to an obligation of confidence or
which any person has been or could be compelled to provide under the authority of any enactment,
where the making available of the information would be likely otherwise to damage the public interest.
With respect to the information that has been withheld, I do not consider there are any other factors
which would render it desirable, in the public interest, to make the information available.
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to
withhold some information. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
In line with NZTA policy, this response will soon be published on our website, with personal
information removed.
If you would like to discuss this reply with NZTA, please contact the Ministerial Services team by email
to [NZTA request email].
Yours sincerely
Jess Andrew
Acting National Manager System Design
Appendix – Excerpt from WSHCI_N2AM_OutputSummary_29072024_PT Analysis
2033
With Mt Vic,
2033
Hour
Basin and
Difference
Route No.
Direction
Peak
Route Name
Do Minimum
Starting
Terrace
(minutes)
(minutes)
Tunnel
(minutes)
1
Northbound bus
AM
08:00
Island Bay to Wellington Station NB (bus) AM
42.00
32.49
-9.51
1
Northbound bus
PM
17:00
Island Bay to Wellington Station NB (bus) PM
33.25
31.03
-2.22
1
Southbound bus
AM
08:00
Wellington Station to Island Bay SB (bus) AM
38.90
39.64
0.74
1
Southbound bus
PM
17:00
Wellington Station to Island Bay SB (bus) PM
39.06
39.92
0.87
2
Northbound bus
AM
08:00
Miramar Shops to Wellington Station NB (bus) AM
40.84
29.73
-11.11
2
Northbound bus
PM
17:00
Miramar Shops to Wellington Station NB (bus) PM
31.58
25.51
-6.07
2
Southbound bus
AM
08:00
Wellington Station to Miramar Shops SB (bus) AM
31.71
29.98
-1.74
2
Southbound bus
PM
17:00
Wellington Station to Miramar Shops SB (bus) PM
33.17
30.46
-2.71
