7 February 2019
Tony Randle
[FYI request #9087 email]
Tēnā koe Tony
REQ141978 – Request from T Randle – Hamilton to Auckland passenger rail
Thank you for your request for information relating to the above received by Council 20 November 2018.
On 19 December 2018, Council advised that the request had been granted subject Council’s rights and
obligations to withhold or decline in part under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings
Act. Your request is set out in italics below:
“I note the release of the Hamilton to Auckland Start‐Up Passenger Rail Service Single Stage Business Case
to
be
decided
at
tomorrows
Waikato
Regional
Council
(WRC)
meeting
(https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/AGENDA-PACKAGE-FOR-COUNCIL-MEETING-21-
NOVEMBER-2018.pdf). I am interested in how the costs, benefits and cost benefit ratios used in this
business case were calculated. I am also interested in how the travel times, patronage and funding
estimates were calculated.
1) Can I please have a copy of the assumed Hamilton to Britomart Auckland travel times for Long List
Option 3 "Connecting bus - limited stops peak" and Option 4 "Connecting bus - all stops peak" listed in
"Figure 9-2: Long list screen against investment objectives" on page 108 of the above WRC Agenda ?
2) Can I please have a copy of the assumed Hamilton to Britomart Auckland travel times for the shortlisted
Options "Option 10 – Connecting train – higher frequency peak with facilities"; "Option 12 - Connecting
train – higher frequency all day with facilities"; and "Option 16 - Through train higher frequency all day
with facilities" listed in "Table 9-3: Shortlisted Options " on page 110 of the above WRC Agenda ?
3) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Capital Cost totals for each option in "Table
9-4 Shortlisted Options Economic Assessment" on page 112 of the above WRC Agenda ?
4) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Operating Cost totals for each option in
"Table 9-4 Shortlisted Options Economic Assessment" on page 112 of the above WRC Agenda ?
5) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Revenue totals for each option in "Table 9-
4 Shortlisted Options Economic Assessment" on page 112 of the above WRC Agenda ?
6) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Transport Benefits totals for each option in
"Table 9-4 Shortlisted Options Economic Assessment" on page 112 of the above WRC Agenda ?
7) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Cost totals for Private Car and Train in
"Table 10-11: Train vs private car journey cost comparison" on page 122 of the above WRC Agenda ?
8) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Projected Annual Patronage totals in "
Figure 10-4: Projected annual patronage volumes (five-year start-up period)" on page 123 of the above
WRC Agenda ?
9) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Capital Cost totals for in "Table 10-12:
Capital Cost Components" on page 124 of the above WRC Agenda ?
10) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Operating Cost totals for in "Table 10-13:
Operating Cost Components" on page 125 of the above WRC Agenda ?
11) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Revenue totals for in "Table 10-14:
Indicative Fare Revenue" on page 126 of the above WRC Agenda ?
Doc # 13681074
12) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Public Transport User Benefit totals for in
"Table 10-15: Public Transport User Benefit Components" on page 127 of the above WRC Agenda ?
13) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations for the Non-user Benefits totals for in "Table 10-
16: Non-User Benefit Components" on page 126 of the above WRC Agenda ?
14) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations used for the amounts for the four scenarios in
"Table 10-18: 30-Year Present Value Benefits, Costs and BCR Outputs" on page 130 of the above WRC
Agenda ?
15) Can I please have a copy of the detailed calculations used for the funding amounts in "Table 11-1:
Funding Case" on page 134 of the above WRC Agenda ?”
Please follow the link below to information requested.
https://waikatorc-
my.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/personal/sarah_mcleay_waikatoregion_govt_nz/EQZhf3PJ3_9Cp0Cq9Z_qtzwB
ucESp1MIIavvoO7i-etPdg?e=PI097K
Some of the information requested does not exist or cannot be found. Question 1 and 2 seek information
that wasn’t utilized when completing the assessment of the long list of options against the investment
objectives. This analysis was a qualitative one (actual travel times weren’t computed) that utilized a
scoring criteria, which is outlined in page 108 of the Council report. The time benchmarks used were
derived from the consultants’ previous experience and literature review of previous work that had
published travel times for an array of transport options for the Hamilton to Auckland corridor. In addition,
the information sought in question 14 is not held by Council. The consultants that led the completion of
the SSBC ran a separate economic sensitivity analysis with a set of parameters. This was not retained.
The balance of your request is declined in accordance with section 17(f) of the Local Government Official
Information and Meetings Act on the basis that it cannot be met without substantial collation and
research having a significant and unreasonable impact on Council’s ability to carry out its other
operations. To provide further information Council would be required to review and collate (by way of
hard coding and link amendment) approximately 200 Excel records each containing a number of cell and
spreadsheet interdependencies. A trial of this process has been undertaken and indicates that it would
take, as a minimum, 6 minutes per record to complete. This would require a further 20 hours of staff time
in addition to 25 hours already spent to supply the information provided. Council notes that:
the 25 hours already incurred was required to consult with external consultants to obtain records, to
read and review information and to collate that information for release to you.
charging for the remaining information would not assist in its provision given the need for significant
technical understanding of nature of the information requested and Council’s electronic filing systems
along with difficulty obtaining contracted resource to undertake the work.
Please contact me should you wish to make a new request that refines the scope of the declined portion
of your request to the extent that provision is possible.
You have the right to seek investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about
how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or free phone 0800 802 602.
Nāku, nā
Sarah McLeay
Statutory Processes Advisor
Waikato Regional Council
[email address]
Doc # 13681074
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