Work to prepare Auckland for more frequent commuter trains is moving into its second stage – which will see stations on the Eastern Line closed between Ōtāhuhu and Britomart.
Despite the weather over the past month, work on Stage 1 of the Rail Network Rebuild - the Southern Line between Ōtāhuhu and Newmarket and the Onehunga Line - is on schedule, with commuter services to resume on 20 March.
That day work on Stage 2 will begin. It will see the Sylvia Park, Panmure, Glen Innes, Meadowbank and Ōrākei stations on the Eastern line closed from 20 March 2023 until early January 2024. Auckland Transport will be operating a range of alternative transport options to help get Aucklanders in that part of the city to where they need to go.
KiwiRail Chief Operating Officer – Capital Projects David Gordon says the City Rail Link will be a gamechanger for commuter rail in Auckland – allowing capacity to double over time.
“It will mean more frequent and convenient trains for Aucklanders, but for that to happen we need to make sure the wider metro network is up to standard.
“Our Rail Network Rebuild is focused on removing the rails and excavating down to replace the formation – the rock foundation under the tracks. This is crucial work that will remove speed restrictions and ensure the network can handle more trains. Customers will experience more reliable trains and more trains, coming more often.
“We’re also significantly improving drainage around the tracks. Given the flooding and slips caused by extreme weather in Auckland recently, ensuring water can quickly move away from the tracks is important for resilience – making sure commuters’ trains aren’t disrupted when the weather turns and they can keep operating.”
Mr Gordon says the $330 million Rail Network Rebuild is taking a staged approach, to minimise the impact on commuters as much as possible.
“As we move across the network over the next two years, only one section of line will be temporarily closed at a time, with services continuing to run on the rest of the network.
“Since Boxing Day we’ve made excellent progress on Stage 1 of the rebuild. We’ve got around 130 staff and contractors working in the area and have so far replaced 3.2km of formation, 5.5km of ballast (the larger rocks the tracks sit on) and improved 4km of drainage, as well as laying close to 5km of new sleepers and replacing more than 1.3km of rail.
“The extreme weather on 27 January did some damage to parts of the Auckland rail network, including areas where rebuild work had been partially completed. Repairs have since been made but it has resulted in other Stage 1 work being delayed – such as some ballast replacement. It was important to stand by our promise to return the Southern and Onehunga lines to service by 20 March and we are pleased to hit that date. However, there may be some very localised temporary speed restrictions in place until we can complete the work later this year.”
“On 20 March we’ll start work on the Eastern Line between Ōtāhuhu and Britomart. This section is one of the longest closures – as it is twice the length of Stage 1 and a lot more formation needs to be replaced – and we’ll be working 24/7 where possible.
“We appreciate the disruption this will cause commuters in the eastern part of the city, but unfortunately, work that’s this invasive and on this scale can’t only be done at nights or on weekends.”
Regular services returning on the Onehunga and Southern Lines from 20 March
Auckland Transport Group Manager Metro Services Darek Koper says the return of regular services to the Onehunga and Southern Lines will be welcome news for those passengers who have patiently been using other services this year.
“People who usually get on trains on the Onehunga Line, and on the Southern Line at Penrose, Ellerslie, Greenlane, Remuera and Newmarket will soon have their services back, and I would like to thank them for their patience over the last few months,” Mr Koper says.
“The return of services will also be welcome news for people travelling to events at Mt Smart stadium, who will be able to catch a train to Penrose, followed by a short walk to the stadium.”
With the beginning of Stage 2 on 20 March, Auckland Transport will provide Eastern Bays communities with a range of alternative transport options while the Ōtāhuhu to Britomart section of the Eastern Line is closed.
Mr Koper says these alternative services will include rail replacement buses, as well as scheduled bus services like the Tāmaki Link, which will be a good option for passengers travelling to the City Centre from Glen Innes.
“Over the next nine months trains will not run on the Eastern Line between Ōtāhuhu and Britomart and the five stations on this part of the line will be closed.
“Eastern Line trains from south of Ōtāhuhu will continue to run between Manukau and Britomart at peak times using the Southern Line (via Newmarket). At off-peak times Eastern Line trains will run between Manukau and Ōtāhuhu only.
“We appreciate Stage 2 will see a lengthy period of disruption for some of our Eastern Line passengers which is why we are committed to regularly reviewing the alternative transport services in place and making improvements where possible over the course of the year.”
Eastern Line public transport options:
There will be some changes for Onehunga Line customers from 20 March. Onehunga and Te Papapa stations will reopen, but at peak commuting times, trains will run between Onehunga and Penrose only. At off-peak times, including evenings and weekends, trains will run between Onehunga and Britomart.
Rail Replacement Bus timetables will be available to download from the AT website www.AT.govt.nz/RailRebuild from today. From Sunday 12 March customers will be able to use the AT Journey Planner www.AT.govt.nz/JourneyPlanner and AT Mobile app to plan their journeys as usual.
ENDS