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Our network
Information about property, assets and infrastructure and for people living near the rail corridor.
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Completed works

People and diggers working on rail

People and diggers working on rail

The Government has invested more than $1.5 billion to improve the resilience of underlying track infrastructure across Auckland and on a range of rail projects. This page highlights some of the work completed, prior to the City Rail Link opening in September 2026.

City Rail Link

The City Rail Link (CRL) is New Zealand’s largest ever transport infrastructure project. Having opened in September 2026, CRL enables more train services across Auckland with more frequent trains and shorter journey times.

KiwiRail works closely with Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail to ensure that the rail network is in top shape to support increased passenger services.

KiwiRail's role and contributions

Ongoing maintenance of CRL rail infrastructure, including tunnels, signals and train radio systems. These FAQs (142 KB, Pdf) outline how scheduled maintenance are carried out now the CRL is open
Tested the rail system as a whole to ensure it’s safe, reliable and for fit for purpose
Delivered the Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which brings together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail together in one location to improve train services across the city
The completed electrification of 19km of extended overhead power lines between Papakura to Pukekohe, upgrades of Pukekohe Station and associated tracks. Passengers can now travel direct from Pukekohe to central city
Significant upgrades to track infrastructure at key junctions such as Waitematā, Maungawhau, Otahuhu, The Strand and Newmarket, including the building of a new South-West connection (see image at the bottom of this page)
New third rails between Wiri to Quay Park and Henderson for greater volumes of freight and passenger trains. This includes Henderson and Middlemore station upgrades and track reconfiguration around Quay Park, which allows freight better access to Ports of Auckland and new junctions at Westfield and Wiri.
Two additional Auckland power feeds to boost electricity capacity and resilience and allow for future growth of the wider network. The Western Power Feed is operational and work will start later in 2026 on a second power feed on the South Central Line.
Opened two new stations in Drury, South Auckland - Drury Railway Station and Paerātā Railway Station, each with large park and rides. Ngākōroa Railway Station will follow in 2027.

Highlights of the KiwiRail projects that enabled CRL

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Auckland's rail network was originally [music] built for freight, but with the city rail link set to transform the way Auckland moves, the network [music] needed major upgrades to support it.

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Since 2018, thanks to $2.4 4 billion of government investment. We've been working around the clock to deliver the

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maintenance, upgrades, and new infrastructure needed to handle both freight services and more frequent passenger [music] trains.

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Heat. Heat.

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Heat. [music]

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Hey, heat. Hey, heat. Heat. Heat.

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[music]

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Heat.

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Heat.

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[music]

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Auckland's [music] rail network is now more resilient than ever. Future maintenance will be smarter [music] using new technology and automation to

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help keep trains running reliably. We know this journey hasn't always [music] been easy and we thank Aucklanders for

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their patience and support throughout this major program of work.

Henderson Station

KiwiRail has delivered a project to build a third platform and additional tracks at Henderson Station to enable more frequent and reliable train services as part of the City Rail Link (CRL) programme. The upgrades at this key junction paved the way for direct rail travel between West Auckland and South Auckland, and between West and East Auckland.

Upgrades included:

A new third platform to enable more frequent and reliable services
The third platform allows some trains to be turned around in Henderson at the end of service, while retaining two through-tracks for trains travelling to and from Swanson - allowing for a greater volume of trains
Upgrades to track layout, overhead lines and signalling equipment
A new emergency exit bridge at the southern end of the station
New sleepers and rail, and deep underground foundations for greater resilience
A new staff facility building
Auckland Transport replaced station lifts and escalators

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This project involves building a new [music] third platform, upgraded track infrastructure, upgraded signaling,

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upgraded OI and impact [music] wall and an emergency egress bridge.

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So we've taken the original the two platform island and turned it into a three platform island. [music] We've also had to realign all the O and the

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signaling all up. We've put in over 7 km of overhead cable, multiple new structures, switching arrangements, and

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section insulators. Because of the way the track alignment was, we had to build our impact forms and a robust curb for train [music] derailment.

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In this particular project, Q was the head contractor. It's incredibly satisfying to see the project [music] to where it's come to now.

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One of the most satisfying parts of this project is what we've been able to achieve in a relatively short amount of time. This will be one of those projects when [music] I'm driving down the road,

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the kids are in the back, they start rolling their eyes, and I start going, I built that.

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[music]

Rail Network Rebuild (RNR)

The Rail Network Rebuild (RNR) programme was completed in January 2026. The five-year-year rebuild delivered critical upgrades to ready the network for the City Rail Link (CRL) to open in the second half of 2026.

RNR replaced old foundations under tracks and upgraded drainage, allowing more reliable train journeys and a more resilient network. It focused on upgrading priority areas across the entire network, enabling an efficient rail network that can accommodate more trains per hour.

Papakura to Pukekohe (P2P) electrification

The Government granted $419 million to extend the electrification of Auckland’s metro rail network from Papakura to Pukekohe. This means people travelling from Pukekohe now no longer need to switch trains at Papakura and can enjoy faster, quieter and cleaner journeys in modern electric trains.

By encouraging people to use public transport rather than private vehicles, electrifying more of the network will reduce carbon emissions.

The project has:

extended the overhead power system from Papakura to Pukekohe
upgraded the existing track, signals and level crossings across this 19km section of the Southern Line
redeveloped Pukekohe Station.

From Pukekohe to Papakura over 800 mast structures, including 472 masts and 381 bridges/ booms, have been installed to support close to 130km of overhead electric line to power electric trains.

The line was officially reopened for passenger trains in February 2025

Wiri to Quay Park Third Main Line project

The rail line between Westfield and Wiri is the busiest part of Auckland’s (and New Zealand’s) rail network.

KiwiRail has built a third rail track alongside the two existing ones to ease congestion, provide faster train journeys and reduce delays.

This upgrade was funded by the government’s New Zealand Upgrade Programme (NZUP) and included the redevelopment of Middlemore Station, as well as track reconfigurations at Westfield, Wiri and Quay Park.

This upgrade:

Allows for anticipated growth in both freight and passenger rail services ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link
Improves rail links to key freight hubs, including KiwiRail’s Westfield and Southdown freight terminals and the Ports of Auckland inland port at Wiri.

Last updated: October 27, 2026