Mass rapid transit – A step change for public transport in Greater Christchurch

The Mass Rapid Transit project is a crucial initiative for both central and local government in addressing Greater Christchurch's vision for a well-functioning and sustainable city with a focus on liveability and a low carbon future, with good transport choices and strong economic performance. This will in part be achieved by an efficient and reliable public transport system.

Boffa Miskell was commissioned as part of the consultant team to deliver the MRT Indicative Business Case for Greater Christchurch on behalf of Waka Kotahi in seeking to increase the mode share of the public transport network in Greater Christchurch.

The Indicative Business Case included consideration of the role of mass rapid transit in Greater Christchurch and identification of a preferred route within the city. A key aspiration was to align the corridor with future urban growth in seeking to reduce carbon emissions in accordance with policy direction and international best practices. It also sought to specifically address the city’s over reliance on the private motor vehicle, a sprawling urban form and low public transport patronage.

Client

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

Location

Canterbury

Project team

Jane Rennie
Brian McAuslan
Sean Eustace

Worked with

Aurecon
QTP
WSP

Project date

2013 - 2019

Boffa Miskell worked collaboratively with the project team, and the Greater Christchurch Partnership. Our role focused on providing urban design and land use integration advice, analysis and input into the Mass Rapid Transit Indicative Business Case. We took a people-centric and strategic land use integration approach in addressing the key challenges.

This included:

  • Identifying the relevant urban land use policy and spatial planning context for MRT, including identifying land use and public transport integration opportunities
  • Identifying the urban amenity criteria for inclusion within the Multi Criteria Analysis process
  • Undertaking ‘Movement and Place’ analysis of the street running corridor scenario
  • Analysing land use and urban design issues associated with each route option to inform potential station locations
  • Evaluating the likely feasible development capacity and associated growth scenarios along the preferred corridor as a result of the introduction of MRT.
  • Identifying potential street cross sections taking into account options for street reallocation between different user groups
  • Identifying the potential opportunities to reshape the corridor and station environments to achieve high quality urban outcomes that support MRT and a positive public transport user experience.

The IBC is in the final stages of development. A significant outcome of the Indicative Business Case has been the recognition of rapid transit as a transformative project for Greater Christchurch.

The project has the potential to reshape key centres and neighbourhoods along the route, aiming to maximise the benefits of high-frequency travel, create more attractive and safer centres, and enhance accessibility. Increasing housing and employment density, along with shaping the urban form in the main centres, will be crucial to the success of the MRT system and help reduce urban sprawl and bring broader well-being and resilience benefits.

PREVIOUS

Eastern Busway Alliance
Next

Albany Highway Development