Transport chiefs celebrating Britomart's 10th birthday as an underground train station are looking forward to punching a big hole out from its western end.

Auckland's northwestern settlement of Waitakere is to lose passenger trains after more than 130 years.

Darrell Preston would rather hobble 5km a day on a bad knee than take his chances with the new train ticketing machines.

Auckland rail patronage has slumped to below 10 million passengers trips over the past 12 months, dragging down overall public transport figures.

A train driver who failed to stop at a red signal has caused delays on the western line of Auckland's rail service today.

KiwiRail is taking all the blame forlast month's tragic accident at Morningside - yet the company is a state-owned enterprise required to operate as a successful business.

Fly-through the route of Auckland's proposed City Rail Link from Britomart to Mount Eden including the street route and proposed underground stations. courtesy YouTube/aucklandtransport

Taxpayers and ratepayers fork out more than $230 million a year to subsidise public transport in Auckland.

The railway crossing which nearly claimed the life of a woman had been identified by authorities as a top priority for removal.

Auckland ferry operator Sealink says trains are gobbling up too much public money, depriving the two-harbour city of superior water transport.

Auckland Transport has quietly dropped a controversial feature of its $2.86 billion underground rail project.

The report does not show, nor claim to show, that the line is viable, only that a wider view of the net costs and benefits to NZ arguably should be considered, writes Stephen Selwood.

Auckland's $1.14 billion rail electrification project is chugging into the home straight, ready for the arrival in September of the first of 57 zippier and quieter trains.