NEW ZEALAND: Auckland’s City Rail Link will open to passengers on September 13, launching a new rail network through the city centre with three redesigned train lines and new underground stations.

Auckland train and platforms inside Waitematā Station.
Train and platforms inside Waitematā Station in Auckland. Illustrative photo. Photo: russellstreet, CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped.

The opening date gives passengers a firm start point for the 3.45-kilometre twin-tunnel railway between Waitematā and Maungawhau. The project also adds the new Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape underground stations and turns Waitematā from a terminus into a through station.

Three train lines will use the new network

Auckland Transport’s confirmed post-opening network will reorganise existing services into the East West, South City and Onehunga West lines from September 13.

The East West Line will combine the current Eastern and Western lines, running between Swanson and Manukau through the CRL city-centre stations. The South City Line will run from Pukekohe through Newmarket, Grafton and the city-centre loop before returning through Newmarket, while the Onehunga West Line will connect Onehunga with Henderson off-peak and Maungawhau during peak periods.

That layout creates direct cross-city trips that were not possible under the existing terminus-based network. Passengers will also have transfer opportunities between the new lines at several stations, including Waitematā, Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape.

Don’t miss…Brightline Crossing Upgrades Cover 327 Florida Crossings

Initial timetable prioritises reliable opening

The first timetable will not immediately use the maximum frequencies planned for the network. Auckland Transport says trains will run every five minutes through the city centre at peak times and about every 10 minutes on average elsewhere, while the three new lines will operate every 15 minutes off-peak, including weekends.

AT plans to use an initial timetable for the first few months so crews and passengers can adjust to the redesigned network while reliability is established. Peak frequencies outside the city centre will initially remain broadly similar to current levels before being increased.

Some journey-time gains are already defined. Auckland Transport says that once CRL is open and operating normally, Waitematā to Maungawhau will take under 10 minutes, about half the current public-transport journey time. It also states that Henderson to Te Waihorotiu will take 35 minutes, saving 24 minutes.

The City Rail Link project has a stated cost of NZ$5.493 billion and is jointly funded by the New Zealand Government and Auckland Council. Its September 13 opening will move Auckland from a city-centre terminus model to a through-running network, with the first months focused on bedding in the new service pattern.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed:

Don’t miss…Union Pacific Plans Rail Return Despite Collapse Warning