Auckland to offer 'significantly improved' Rugby World Cup experience

New Zealand Transport Minister Steven Joyce has promised fans they will have a "significantly improved" experience in travelling into Auckland for Rugby World Cup games from this weekend.

Joyce made the pledge after reports were published into transport problems that saw hundreds of ticket-holders miss out on the opening match of the tournament between host New Zealand and Tonga at Eden Park last Friday. Earlier this week Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully announced the government would take charge of an expanded waterfront fan zone after blaming inadequate planning for last Friday's chaotic scenes.

Auckland Council reports have suggested there were an estimated 200,000 people on the city's waterfront last Friday - 120,000 more than the area can handle. The reports added that there were not enough toilets, insufficient numbers of security staff and some big screens were in the wrong places and failed to work. Eden Park, which will host both semi-finals and the final of the tournament, will stage the Australia versus Ireland game tomorrow.

Auckland Council and Auckland Transport have introduced a number of changes for this weekend, with 100 extra buses available and extra security staff on the ground and in train carriages.

Stuff.co.nz quoted Joyce as stating "all transport involves some risk but I can certainly say...it will be a very, very significantly improved experience."

According to TVNZ, Auckland Council believes it could cost NZ$60,000 to compensate fans who missed the Rugby World Cup's opening game due to the public transport problems. However, Graham Sibery, the head of Auckland's train networks, added "if the same number of people got onto the train network and the same volumes on to the trains, we would struggle again. It cannot cope with those volumes."