Major projects

Priority rail projects

Rail electrification with 10 minute peak services and connection of the rail system to Manukau City Centre and Onehunga

These projects have been agreed for some time and are in the process of being delivered.

Auckland has great potential to move more people and freight on its under-utilised rail corridors. The efficiency of an electrified system helps maximise use of the infrastructure already in place. Electric trains are not only faster and cleaner, they are quieter and cheaper to run than diesel ones.

Additional trains will enable services to run every 10 minutes in peak hours, rather than every 15 minutes. In March 2009 KiwiRail took over responsibility for implementing this $1 billion project. KiwiRail is responsible for electrification of the network. In March 2009 the Government agreed to provide funding for the purchase of new electric trains.

These projects are critical to growing rail patronage in Auckland and allowing passenger rail to fulfill its role (along with the Northern Busway) as the Rapid Transit Network (RTN). The RTN forms the backbone of the public transport system.

Target dates: Construction of the Manukau link and Onehunga branch line are under way along with the first steps in electrification of the network. The Onehunga Line and Manukau Link are expected to open in mid 2010, and the first electric trains are targeted to commence service in 2013.

More information on this project is available here:

Construct the CBD rail loop

The CBD rail loop is projected to run underground from Britomart under Albert Street, Pitt Street and Upper Queen Street and to join the Western Line. The 3.5km of electrified rail has capacity for new stations, around Wellesley Street, Karangahape Rd and Newton.

Greater coverage of the CBD will mean more than 200,000 additional people living and working within 30 minutes' rail travel of the CBD. Britomart can operate as a through station rather than as a terminal, bringing a range of benefits:

• higher frequency of trains than the planned 10 minutes
• faster journeys from the west of Auckland to the CBD
• new services to the CBD, including an airport link and the Avondale-Southdown link.

Unless we construct the CBD rail loop the growth of the CBD will be constrained by lack of access. Roads will become increasingly congested and bus numbers will become harder to manage.

Target date: Construction 2021. Study complete by December 2010 on route, station locations and costs.

More information on this project is available here:

Construct the Auckland Airport rail loop

The airport rail loop consists of connections to the airport from the north via Onehunga and from the east via Puhinui Station.

As well as serving air passengers, the line will provide better accessibility to the fast-growing employment area surrounding the airport. It will also increase services to the growing centre of Onehunga.

More investigations are required to detail the route of the rail connections, determine how its introduction would be staged and what bus services are required in the meantime.

Target date: 2031-2040

More information on this project is available here:

Plan for rail to the North Shore

The Northern Busway is expected to operate effectively during the next 30 years but reach its capacity towards 2040. Future growth in the north of the region makes it necessary to investigate introducing rail services and protecting the ability to make this connection across the harbour.

The best route across the Waitemata Harbour was identified in a 2008 study. It runs between Akoranga Station on the North Shore and the proposed CBD Rail Tunnel via a route beneath the Wynyard Quarter.

It involves new driven tunnels. Tunnels preserve the existing harbour landscape and have no effect on the operation of Westhaven Marina.

Further investigations are required into the most appropriate route north of Akoranga station.

Target date: The appropriate time for construction has yet to be identified. It is unlikely to take place within the 30-year framework of this strategy. The route can be protected though.

More information on this project is available here:

Plan for an Avondale to Southdown rail connection

The Avondale-Southdown Line is a long-planned rail link across the Auckland Isthmus, connecting west and south Auckland by linking the existing rail lines at Southdown and Avondale. The route was initially designed to provide an alternative route for freight trains by-passing the relatively steep gradient on the rail line past Ellerslie. The extensions of State Highway 20 through Mt Roskill and beyond, accommodate the planned rail route where the motorway and rail route share the same corridor. The historically designated rail route runs north of the Onehunga town centre.

The Avondale-Southdown line will incorporate the Onehunga connection currently under construction.

This connection brings a range of benefits:

• providing a rail connection from these areas to the airport
• providing a more direct route for rail freight from west and north of Auckland to the North Island Main Trunk line, to the Port of Auckland and locations to the south.

Target date: 2031-2040

More information on this project is available here: