Newstalk ZB
Auckland’s City Rail Link bosses have been pressed over comments by its former chief executive that the $5.5 billion project could have been delivered for half the price, with one councillor “totally furious” over the claim. Members from the CRL leadership team fronted Auckland councillors today to provide an update on the project set to be delivered in the second half of 2026, years later than expected and after about a $2b cost blowout from its initial $3.5b price tag. Auckland councillor Richard Hills took the opportunity to ask the CRL leadership team their thoughts on former chief executive Dr Sean Sweeney’s description of the project as “Rolls-Royce” like in quality that could have been delivered for half the price. “I feel totally furious that someone can be part of this project for six or seven years and then jump out… Do you hear that and know that’s not true? Surely, we could not have magically shaved $2b off when we were told, and shown, completely the opposite,” Hills said during the transport and infrastructure committee meeting. Hills said Sweeney did not suggest such massive cost-cutting was possible when he was in the role as chief executive, which he left in 2024 to oversee Dublin’s MetroLink rail project. Hills was also alarmed by Sweeney’s comment that he “didn’t have the experience in building metro stations” when Auckland Transport (AT) and KiwiRail said they could not scale back their “cathedral”-like stations. “I don’t want you to comment on the personality, but I mean for someone who was paid $940,000 a year when he left, to say he was not experienced and would have saved us $2b if only he knew… What he said in that interview is completely the opposite of what he said when he was standing in your shoes.” Sweeney earned $948,000 as CRL’s CEO in the year to June 2024. Hills then read a previous quote from Sweeney that stated the extra funding and additional time for the CRL’s completion “is primarily due to Covid impacts, time lost on site and knock-on effects of the supply chain, resource materials, costs of steel and concrete, labour costs”. Auckland councillor for the North Shore ward Richard Hills says he is "furious" with the former CRL chief executive's comments. Photo / Corey Fleming The current CRL chief executive, Patrick Brockie, did not engage with Sweeney’s criticism of the project. “I think our approach right now is really not to focus on that. Our focus is to finish the project and have it open for Aucklanders,” Brockie said. “I don’t have time to dwell on Sean’s comments even though I know him well, obviously, having worked with him for a number of years, but this is not the time and place.” Councillor Matt Winiata also quizzed the CRL panel on Sweeney’s comments, citing a 7.9% Auckland rates increase because of the CRL and stating the project “cannot fail”. “The last thing that I, or any of the councillors, would want to be hearing is ‘there are learnings to come from this’,” Winiata said. Brockie clarified there are three separate reviews into the project and its construction and cost blowouts. One of them, he said, was a “lessons learnt” review commissioned by CRL itself into decisions around design and stakeholder engagement across the 10-year project. It would be an “independent component” by “international, experienced” people and also have a peer review component. “There are many aspects of this project that I think are worth reviewing. We’ve agreed with the sponsors that we will do this,” Brockie said. “We’re actually underway with that work and that will review various aspects of the project in order to benefit the next large infrastructure project, whether that be the harbour tunnel or bridge.” A second “retrospective review” was launched by Transport Minister Chris Bishop on May 7 after Sweeney’s comments. “Like everyone, I’m unhappy at the cost of the CRL. I have a lot of respect for Mr Sweeney, so I take what he says seriously,” Bishop said. And a third will be a “gatew...
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