The $400million project been pitched as a way to take pressure of Queenstown’s stretched transport system by taking up to 3000 passengers an hour each way - the equivalent of a 50-seater bus every minute in each direction.
But Queenstown Lakes District Council has raised serious concerns over the Sir Rod Drury-backed project which is moving through the fast-track process.
The concerns include ‘‘critical gaps’’ in information, if it constituted public transport and fears if patronage did not meet financial demands, the district may be left with a ‘‘white elephant’’.
The council told the fast-track panel the timing of Southern Infrastructure Ltd’s application might be ‘‘premature’’ and more appropriate when the project could demonstrate it was possible to deliver.
It was understood Otago Regional Council (ORC) was yet to provide the necessary approval, the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) funding pathway was not resolved and it still required ‘‘full agreement’’ from the council, ORC and other agencies this was the ‘‘public transport solution for Queenstown’’.
‘‘Without the above three things, the question is raised as to whether the project constitutes public transport, and therefore the benefits that come with that can be realised, which is paramount to its feasibility.
‘‘A cable car that is part of the public transport solution for Queenstown is not fanciful,’’ the council said.
‘‘However, realistically there is only one opportunity ... and it is vital that any system advanced is the right one and in the right location.’’
The council questioned whether it would properly serve Queenstown when the proposal excluded Fernhill, Lakeview, Arthurs Point and the areas along Frankton Rd, between the town centre and Frankton.
There was an opportunity to realign the route and stations to better capture existing and future ‘‘walk-up urban catchments’’, but that opportunity would be lost if the project was referred in its present form to the substantive application stage.
The council also said it was ‘‘unlikely’’ 3000 passengers an hour, in each direction, would use the cable car, while visitors ‘‘are generally not seeking to be confined to those catchments the proposal serves’’, and instead may opt to hire a rental vehicle.
The council said the application placed ‘‘heavy reliance’’ on unsecured public funding from the council, ORC and NZTA, while ongoing maintenance and operating costs had not been detailed representing a ‘‘significant oversight’’ in assessing the long-term feasibility.
Those costs were ‘‘likely to be very significant in scale and ones that shouldn’t fall on a small ratepayer base’’.
‘‘Should public funding not be secured, the application states the alternative is to construct, operate and maintain a private commercial system, heavily reliant on customer patronage.
‘‘What occurs if patronage doesn’t meet financial demands?
‘‘Will the district be left with a ‘white elephant’ defunct cable car system?’’
A consultant’s review also included in the council’s submission raised concerns about long queues.
‘‘The capacity of each cabin is low, and this may result in significant queuing at stations as people wait to board.
‘‘If the queues were to exceed the capacity of the station, this may result in queuing on the surrounding streets which may cause safety issues or block footpaths.’’
Southern Infrastructure did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.
