Three major South Auckland sections complete as network readies for CRL
Auckland trains are back on the track today after the completion of the latest 16-day partial closure of the metro rail network for upgrade and renewal works necessary to the successful opening of the City Rail Link (CRL) next year.
KiwiRail teams completed three large sections of Government-funded Rail Network Rebuild (RNR) work in South Auckland these school holidays, with new foundations installed under the tracks and modern drainage. The construction of significant new rail infrastructure in West Auckland also progressed during the school holidays - key to enabling greater numbers of Aucklanders to benefit from the CRL’s more frequent trains and faster journeys.
“A huge amount has been achieved in the school holiday upgrade, with our renewal of rail infrastructure around three major South Auckland train stations now largely complete,” said KiwiRail Chief Metro and Capital Programme Officer David Gordon.
“In West Auckland, the second platform extension and the new third platform is taking shape in Henderson. We are in the final stages of the massive, $1.9 billion upgrade of Auckland’s metro rail network in preparation for the opening of City Rail Link.
“While further closures will be needed in 2026 to complete works, we’re making great strides in ensuring the Auckland network is safe and reliable to support the greater frequency of trains CRL will enable each hour.”
More than 200 team members worked day and night to complete the work that’s been underway for around six months around Te Mahia, Takanini and Homai stations, along with other renewals across the network. These upgrades will help trains run more smoothly and reliably and boost overall network resilience.
More than 150 workers were in Henderson over the school holiday to install 55 piling structures of up to 18m deep, and beams that will support the 75-metre-long third platform currently under construction.
There is still a lot of work to be done, with a big focus on West Auckland during the next two full network closures: the four-day (24-27 October) extended Labour weekend, and the four-week Summer Rail Upgrade, which kicks off on 27 December.
From the end of October, RNR teams will be carrying out drainage and investigation works from Fruitvale Road Station to Swanson on the Western Line and in the vicinity of Morningside in central Auckland.
To support these works, KiwiRail will use ‘single line running’ on the Western Line to allow our teams to safely work on one set of rails while trains continue to run on the second set. Single line running results in changes to train frequency and changes to platforms for customers.
Alongside the rebuild work, KiwiRail teams are continuing to:
More information about the range of rail improvement work in Auckland is available at:
https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/our-network/our-regions/amp/
Where KiwiRail is working
For more information on where KiwiRail is working and a calendar of closures, click here.
ENDS
Safety message
While there are no passenger services running on some parts of the network, there will still be work trains and rail vehicles operating along the tracks. We want to remind everyone to always expect trains and to only ever cross the rail corridor at an official level crossing.
For an explainer on RNR, please watch this video.
The City Rail Link (CRL) will bring Auckland closer together: