New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project — Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) — is a short 3.45km, but getting it ready to carry its first passengers in 2026 requires a complete upgrade of something almost 60 times larger; all 200km-plus of the city’s rail network.
The three organisations driving CRL’s construction and operation, Auckland Transport, KiwiRail and City Rail Link Ltd, say trains have done a great job for Auckland in the past, but now is the time to rebuild for a rail future – one that better connects the city and supports its continued growth, prosperity and vibrancy.
They say there is no mistake that a completed CRL will be transformational.
It will be the catalyst for rail changes on the largest scale — changes with as profound an impact on the way Aucklanders get around their city as the Auckland Harbour Bridge delivered back in 1959.
In the late 1950s, they add, the harbour bridge was the “missing link” in the city’s road network; 65 years later CRL is the “missing link” that will unlock the benefits of rail. Auckland’s rail network carried around 22 million passenger trips at its peak in 2019 and that number will ramp up significantly when a completed CRL, along with major upgrades across the rail network, allows more frequent, faster and reliable train journeys throughout much of the city.
Systems fit-outs and commissioning work are well under way in the CRL tunnels.
It will provide seamless connections with frequent bus services, making it quicker and easier to get around using public transport, which will in turn ease congestion on the roads.
It will double the number of people living within 30 minutes of Auckland’s vibrant city centre, with journey times cut and easier connections by train to more places.
Construction of the twin 3.45km tunnels below the city centre will change Waitematā Station (Britomart) into a through station, connecting it with a redeveloped Maungawhau Station in Mt Eden on the Western Line — a short rail journey up to 42 metres below busy streets that will improve the capacity and efficiency of the city-wide network.
Maximising opportunity, however, demands programmes of work on many different fronts.
“Getting ready for an exciting tomorrow requires huge change today that extends well beyond CRL’s work sites in the middle of Auckland.
“An ageing network is getting modernised top-to-bottom — upgrades, renewals, improvements and extensions — to be ready for 2026.
“We’re essentially building a whole new Auckland railway — one that makes it easier, quicker and more reliable to get around by public transport.”
The combined expertise and collaboration of KiwiRail, AT and CRL Ltd — supported by Auckland Council, CRL Ltd’s main contractor, Link Alliance, and Auckland One Rail — ensures the network will be up to the task.
“We’re on track to complete a decade’s worth of work on the Auckland network before CRL opens in 2026,” says KiwiRail Chief Infrastructure Officer Andre Lovatt.
“We’re working hard to keep services going for commuters, but we can only carry out significant work when trains aren’t running, so there will continue to be disruption leading to the CRL opening, including weekend and late evening closures.”
Rail Network Rebuild (RNR)
The Government has invested close to $500m in RNR and associated works where rail history meets rail future. Old rock foundations under tracks are being dug out — they are usually a metre deep — and replaced; new ballast (stone) is laid, and drainage upgraded to add more resilience to the network by reducing the risk of flooding. The rebuild is being completed in sections to reduce disruption.
“The foundations under the rail tracks are essential to reliability, train speeds, and frequency.
“A completed RNR will allow trains to travel on time, faster and safer — essential for services to increase after CRL’s opening,” says Lovatt.
Andre Lovatt.
Electrification
Nineteen kilometres of line between Papakura and Pukekohe has been electrified — people will no longer need to switch trains at Papakura. Existing track, signals and crossings have been upgraded and Pukekohe station redeveloped. Testing is being completed for the first electric train from Pukekohe in January 2025.
Third main
A third main line for freight is under construction in South Auckland. The additional line will ease congestion on a section of the network that manages 1500 passenger and 380 freight services weekly. It allows more frequent passenger trains.
Station redevelopment
Three new stations are being built in Auckland’s growing south, and four existing stations — Middlemore, Otāhuhu, Henderson as well as Pukekohe, are being upgraded (two central city underground stations are being built as part of CRL).
Auckland Rail Operations Centre
The new train control centre at Ellerslie allows teams from KiwiRail, AT and Auckland One Rail, which operates passenger trains for AT, to work closer together to improve services.
Track turnouts and crossovers
Additional crossovers and turnouts, which allow trains to switch tracks and connect to different lines, are being installed to provide more network flexibility, resilience and reliability.
Auckland Transport is removing seven pedestrian-only crossings and one road-level crossing before CRL opens and planning a range of interim safety upgrades at other crossings. It is the first stage of AT’s longer-term level crossing removal programme across Auckland.
“Train services will increase by 100% in some areas after CRL opens in 2026, causing significant delays at level crossings as barrier arms are lowered more often,” AT’s chief executive Dean Kimpton says.
Dean Kimpton. Photo / Michael Craig
“Level crossings must be removed over time so we can make the most of our rail upgrades and run more frequent trains and reduce risk-taking with people and traffic crossing in front of oncoming trains due to impatience.”
New metro maintenance plan
KiwiRail will soon begin to trial a new way of managing rail maintenance to keep up with increased wear and tear from increased train numbers.
Because there will be less access to the rail network after CRL opens, and in order to keep the most services running for the most people, there will be regular overnight suspensions of train services so KiwiRail can safely enter the rail corridor to work on it.
CRL, meanwhile, has shrugged off the construction constraints of the Covid pandemic and is working at pace to complete the build.
With fit-out of the stations almost complete, CRL Ltd chief executive, Dr Sean Sweeney, says the project’s focus now is working with AT and KiwiRail on the installation and commissioning of systems to ensure CRL merges successfully and safely into the wider network.
“Lessons learned from overseas tell us the risks, challenges and complexities stay with us as we progress further, but together we are ticking off milestone after milestone,” he says.
Mid-year, CRL’s “traffic lights” — the signalling system for trains — were successfully integrated into the wider network. Signalling is but one component of a massive testing and commissioning programme that will take months to complete. The list is long. There are 31 different test plans to complete successfully before CRL is safe to make its transport impact on Auckland in 2026.
Sean Sweeney. Photo / Jed Bradley
Those plans also cover track work, overhead power lines, lighting, station lifts and escalators — New Zealand’s longest escalator is being installed at Karanga-a-Hape Station — fire detection and suppression systems, ventilation, security cameras, communications, and station ticket machines and gates. Staff have begun to be trained to use tunnels and stations ahead of the first test runs of trains under controlled conditions.
Test trains will give CRL’s operators and the city’s emergency services the opportunity to test and evaluate responses to a wide range of emergency scenarios below ground — New Zealand has never built an underground railway before so this is another new dimension that CRL will bring to Auckland.
“All those systems will have to be tested and tested again to make sure they mesh completely with the rest of Auckland’s rail network to do the job they are designed for — keeping everyone safe,” Sweeney says.
Approximately 75 core personnel will lead the testing and commissioning phase. They will share resources and their expertise to get the best possible outcomes for the city by delivering the great dividends everyone wants.
Huge funding support from Auckland Council and the Government for CRL and rail network improvements is the investment key that unlocks all the benefits. Importantly, it allows management of the rail network to shift from reactive to proactive mode meaning fewer disruptions, fewer full network shutdowns, and more trains carrying more passengers.
Rejuvenation is not confined to the steel threads of rail crossing Auckland. CRL and a modern rail network will encourage growth in jobs and promote commercial and residential development. Auckland Council and AT are leading streetscape upgrades in the central city area to maximise the benefits CRL and the increased passenger numbers its underground stations — Karanga-a-Hape and Te Waihorotiu — will bring.
Te Hā Noa
Te Hā Noa (meaning freely experience one’s surroundings) is planned to extend along Victoria St between Rangipuke/Albert Park and Waikōkota/Victoria Park. Completion of the project’s first stage, centred around Te Waihorotiu Station, is planned for the end of next year, with sections of the street completed in coming months. It will make this busy part of the city centre a more attractive, safer and accessible location for visitors, residents and high-value job-creating businesses.
Wellesley St Bus Improvements
This project is located on the south side of Te Waihorotiu. The new station means thousands of people will arrive in the city by train.
The project will transform Wellesley St into an important central city transport interchange and make connecting between walking, high-frequency bus routes, biking, and the train station easier and safer.
The Wellesley Street Bus Improvements project will include building four new bus shelters, widening and upgrading the footpaths, improving pedestrian crossings and loading zones, upgrading underground utilities and creating seating and amenities in public spaces around the new station.
Extensive maintenance work is one of several programmes under way to upgrade Auckland’s rail network.
Karanga-a-Hape Station Precinct
Karangahape Rd is one of Auckland’s most diverse and creative neighbourhoods.
The area around CRL’s Karanga-a-Hape Station entrances is being upgraded, to tie in with the upgraded Karangahape Rd and make transport connections easier and safer.
The makeovers in the central city — New Zealand’s largest employment hub — underpin the enormous benefits CRL and a modern rail network will start to deliver in 2026.
There is an environmental dividend, too — better reliability will encourage people to leave their cars at home, easing pressure on roads for those who need to use them.
Change will not come overnight. It will be staged in line with best practice overseas and to allow continuing network improvements to catch up.
Nevertheless, change is coming.
In 2026, when CRL becomes operational, Aucklanders will celebrate a world-class rail network that not only helps their city thrive but makes it a truly international one as well.
·City Rail Link is an advertising sponsor of the Herald’s Infrastructure report.
