CRL is open: What next for Auckland rail?

The City Rail Link opened on Sunday 13th of September 2026 to much public acclaim. It was a long time in planning and construction. Politicians from all political leanings celebrated its opening.

As expected, a little of the gloss has now worn off as the services settle in. The main issue appears to be a lack of frequency of trains, especially during off peak times. But this is relatively easily fixed.

So, what is next big step forward for rail in the Auckland region? A number of commentators have suggested we should have a pipeline of rail projects to build on this success. Potentially, we do.

KiwiRail have proposed several projects in the Auckland area. The Future is Rail also has ideas of how longer distance rail could increase mobility options for Aucklanders, while at the same time reducing emissions.

KiwiRail proposals

There is 30-year Strategic Rail Programme, launched at the end of 2023 by KiwiRail and Auckland Transport. Thirty years takes us out beyond 2050, a time where New Zealand needs to have already reached ‘net zero’ in greenhouse gas emissions.

One major rail project is the Avondale to Southdown corridor. KiwiRail set out their vision for this and progress to date:

"The Avondale-Southdown development [is] a critical part of Auckland’s and New Zealand’s future rail network, required in the next 15-20 years. The programme details the upsides of bypassing freight around the city centre (including reducing congestion), the benefits that the wider metro network gains from the addition, and the communities that would become better connected for future.

The potential line’s inclusion on the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals list in 2024 further reinforced the importance for this rail connection – often called “Auckland rail’s missing limb”.

Across 2025 and 2026 our Strategic Metro Investments team, with the help of expert agencies and consultancies, is undertaking the most thorough feasibility and scoping study of the rail corridor to date. Their primary objective is to protect the existing rail designation, which is due to lapse in 2029, and to progress initial planning. Additionally, they’ll be engaging with key stakeholders and compiling information about the corridor development opportunity.

While not yet funded, the overarching vision is to build the line and deliver the many benefits of improved rail infrastructure - for local communities, for Auckland, and for New Zealand - for generations to come."

The benefits of the new Avondale-Southdown line are seen to be:

• integrate with the existing rail network - including City Rail Link – and offer better connections across the city.

• move freight trains away from the city centre, creating more efficient freight services for Kiwi businesses and exporters, and freeing up inner city capacity for passenger trains

• provide more viable public transport options across Auckland, contributing toward a reduction in traffic and congestion

• provide alternative routes when there are necessary maintenance or upgrade shutdowns on other parts of the network, as well as improving day to day reliability across the network

• connect communities across the isthmus, improving accessibility and creating greater access to employment and education opportunities

• create new urban development potential, such as more affordable housing and more vibrant shared community spaces.

But the 30-year plan is more than this new link. Other proposals are:

· Maintenance and reliability: step change in the extent of maintenance & renewals levels including modern plant and equipment, track access and delivery methods to improve reliability and reduce disruption from track works

· Four-tracking the Southern Line: Over the next 30 years, it is expected that an extra 130,000 people will call South Auckland home. We are already building a third line on the busiest part of the network, but to keep up with demand and allow more frequent journeys we want to extend the third track and build a fourth to improve journey times for commuters and separate fast and slow trains, positively impacting all customers using the Southern Line.

· Level crossings removals across Auckland – this improves safety and, journey times, as well as increased service frequency. It also means cars and people are not waiting for extended times at closed barrier arms

· A separate programme is being run by AT to determine which crossings will be closed completely and which will be provided with an alternative (bridge or underpass).

There is a video setting out key parts of their 30-year plan, which includes introducing electric locomotives.

While the plan talks about improving rail links through to Hamilton and Tauranga, there is little focus on inter-regional trains except by pointing out that the fourth line would significantly help with the passage of inter-regional trains. It is inter-regional trains where the vision of The Future is Rail is important.

What the Future is Rail wants

In our recently released ‘Quick Guide’ we promote two services that could run to and from Auckland. One is an extension of Te Huia to Tauranga. The other is a night train. We also argued that better pricing would lead to better use of the Northern Explorer tourist train that connects Auckland and Wellington.

The Auckland Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway was released by Auckland Council in 2022. One of its goals, now currently largely abandoned, was to reduce domestic aviation emissions by 50% by 2030. No technological miracles were likely to help reach that goal in that timeframe and now our main airline, Air New Zealand, has pulled back from its once ambitious longer term emission reduction goals. The only two ways in the 2030 frame would have been a reduction in travel or modeshift.

The problem has not gone away even if many politicians wish it would. It is becoming even more obvious for the need to reduce aviation emissions and modeshift is the only realistic solution in the next couple of decades. Modeshift would be greatly assisted by moving more passengers from planes to trains. A night train, running along New Zealand’s busiest air route, Auckland to Wellington, but also including the major growing cities of Hamilton and Palmerston North, would help along this path.

An improved Te Huia service to Hamilton, electrified, then connecting to Tauranga would also help.

With improvements in battery hybrid trains, for maximum emission reduction and efficiency gains both routes need to eventually run fully on renewable electricity.

Our various blogs set out ways to improve Te Huia, both in the short and long term, including taking it through to Tauranga. Currently, Auckland Council provides no funding support for this train despite about a quarter of those using the service living in Auckland.

We have also outlined the benefits of a night train. The successful running of a night train from Auckland to Wellington, as well as increasing regional services running out of Wellington, would greatly benefit from proposed rail improvements in the Wellington region. These are proposed under the ‘Lower North Island Integrated Rail Mobility (LNIRIM) and PBC stage RS4.3’ fast-track application, currently unfunded. Projects that would help the smooth running of a night train include:

• Wellington throat capacity improvements, including a fourth main to enable the operational separation of Hutt and Kāpiti services, northern access to EMU stabling, and separated access to the Wellington freight terminal, which will significantly reduce conflict between passenger and freight services and improve network and service resilience and reliability.

• Duplication of main lines between Otaki and Levin: Adding an additional main on the NIMT in this area allows for further expansion of inter-regional services beyond what is provided in the LNIRIM programme (roughly doubling the number of services running between Palmerston North and Wellington), while preserving reliable and efficient freight access.

• Tawa Basin third main: Adding a third mainline track between Porirua and Takapu Road is required to ensure that competitive travel times and reliable freight access is maintained when the timetable moves to a 10 minute pattern.

Other Auckland transport projects

Rail is just one part of the Auckland public transport network There are new busways planned and an ongoing discussion about a second harbour crossing. The cycleway network is also slowly being improved.

But another project which is aided by rail, but rail also aids, is intensification around railway stations. Thomas Nash explores this in his recent report Station Cities. We also write about the benefits of transit oriented developments on our Future is Rail website.

Let’s get on with the next stage of Auckland (and Wellington) rail improvements

We have the rail proposals. Now we need to find the political will to get on with them.

The Future Is Rail.

organiser@thefutureisrail.org

022 154 9119