Significant upgrades across the Auckland rail network will take place over the Saturday 20 September to Sunday 5 October school holidays as the region gets closer to the more frequent trains and faster journeys the City Rail Link (CRL) will bring when it opens in 2026.
No trains will run south of Puhinui Station on the Southern Line to enable KiwiRail teams to complete three major south Auckland sections as part of the Rail Network Rebuild (RNR) programme. There will also be reduced rail services on the Western Line as Henderson Station upgrades continue.
This work has been planned during the two-week school holiday period when public transport demand is lower because there are fewer commuters and students aren’t travelling to schools.
During these partial closures Auckland Transport (AT) will operate rail replacement buses, including a Southern Line express service, and on the Western Line between Swanson and Henderson to supplement less frequent trains. Passengers are encouraged to check the AT Mobile app or visit the AT website to plan their travel at.govt.nz/journeyplanner
“Our RNR team is progressively replacing foundations under tracks and upgrading drainage in the priority areas across the Auckland network – bringing the network up to standard for the increased services coming soon,” said KiwiRail Chief Metro and Capital Programme Officer Dave Gordon.
“These school holidays they’ll be working day and night to complete intensive work to renew rail infrastructure around Te Mahia, Takanini and Homai stations. We are also upgrading signalling systems, installing new cables and fibre, carrying out level crossing investigation work and progressing construction of the new Drury train stations.
“We thank Aucklanders for their co-operation and patience while we work in their communities, and particularly our rail corridor neighbours.”
Major works are already underway on the Southern Line as well as the building of a third platform and substantial upgrades to the rail infrastructure around Henderson Station in west Auckland. These improvements are key to supporting more frequent and reliable train services as part of the CRL.
“We're getting closer to being ready for the City Rail Link, working alongside our partners to ensure rigorous testing and commissioning. We're already starting to see the benefits of the work achieved during these upgrade periods as existing rail tracks are upgraded so they can support significantly more trains and passengers,” said AT Director of Public Transport and Active Modes, Stacey van der Putten.
“We’re working hard to minimise disruption and keep people informed every step of the way. Thank you to Aucklanders for your patience and support as we get ready for a new, improved rail network."
Western Line partial closures
In west Auckland, trains will use one track between Swanson and Henderson from 20 to 27 September and between 29 September to 3 October during the forthcoming school holiday partial closure. No trains will run on the Western Line on 20-21 September or 28 September, and no trains will run between New Lynn and Swanson on 4-5 October.
KiwiRail uses ‘single line running’ to safely work on one set of tracks while trains continue to run on the second set – so some freight and passenger services can operate. Single line running will also be in place from the extended Labour Weekend (24-27 October) full closure until the Summer Rail Upgrade.
With only one platform available at Henderson, the frequency of service west of New Lynn will be reduced to 20 minutes all day. Britomart to New Lynn will still have a 10-minute peak frequency service.
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.
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: