Regional councillors vote for bus lanes on Harbour Quays

News from GWRC
The Greater Wellington Ewgional Council’s Public Transport Committee has endorsed a Harbour Quays business case, marking a significant milestone towards creating a second public transport corridor through central Wellington to ease pressure on the Golden Mile and support future capacity and growth.

Public Transport Committee Chair Ros Connelly said the decision reflects years of planning and engagement on a joint project between the Wellington City Council and the Regional Council to improve the resilience and efficiency of Wellington’s public transport network.

“Harbour Quays is about making sure our public transport system can keep pace with the needs of a growing city. The Golden Mile is already operating at capacity during peak periods, and this project provides an important second corridor that will help buses move more efficiently through the city centre.”

“The business case shows Harbour Quays can improve travel times, increase network resilience and create capacity for more services as demand grows. It also gives us greater flexibility to respond when there are disruptions elsewhere in the network.”

“We know people took the time to have their say during consultation, and officers have listened carefully to that feedback to refine the business case. Councillors also agreed to further recommendations to consider options to improve the experience for passengers transferring between Golden Mile and Harbour Quays services and to support Wellington City Council to address concerns about connectivity and safety,” says Cr Connelly.

The Harbour Quays corridor would operate along Customhouse Quay, Jervois Quay, Cable Street and Wakefield Street, with part-time peak-hour bus lanes designed to improve the movement of buses through one of the busiest transport corridors in the city. The project is expected to support faster bus journeys and relieve pressure on the Golden Mile corridor.

Early next year, Greater Wellington will confirm the mix of routes that will initially go into service on the Harbour Quays when the necessary infrastructure is completed.

Deputy Chair of the Public Transport Committee Tom James said the project is an investment in the future of public transport in Wellington.

“If we want more people using public transport, we need a network that is reliable, resilient, and able to grow. Harbour Quays helps achieve that.”

“This project will mean quicker bus trips for all buses through the city, plus it will finally give people the choice to take public transport to key destinations like Te Papa, Tākina, and our unbeatable-on-a-good-day waterfront.”

“Thank you to everyone who engaged – over 900 submissions were received during consultation, with a majority of respondents supporting the proposal. Public transport is incredibly important to Wellingtonians and we will keep working to improve it.”

The business case recommends increasing total project funding from $10 million to $11 million, with Greater Wellington contributing $5.84 million and Wellington City Council contributing $5.19 million. Greater Wellington will fully fund six new bus shelters and the associated infrastructure, including real time information boards, as part of the project.

The Wellington City Council will consider the Harbour Quays business case and associated traffic resolutions on 17 September.

If approved by both councils, procurement is expected to begin ahead of construction starting in March or April 2027, with buses potentially operating on the corridor by late 2027.

The order paper and business case can be found here.

Note to editors:

Councillors Elder, Johnstone, Gaylor and Woolf voted against endorsing the business case.

Chris Calvi-Freeman: Voting for traffic congestion on Harbour Quays