Auckland, 19 October – KiwiRail teams will be working hard across Auckland this Labour Weekend on rail maintenance and improvement projects.
Buses will replace trains throughout the Auckland network from late evening Friday 21 October to Monday 24 October inclusive. Take care at crossings as freight trains and rail vehicles will run on some sections of the network.
KiwiRail Chief Operating Officer – Capital Projects, David Gordon, says patronage is lower over public holiday weekends so it’s an opportunity to get out onto the tracks for work that takes time to complete.
The Government has invested more than $1.5 billion in Auckland rail projects, from extending electrification to Pukekohe, building new stations to support housing growth around Drury, to a number of improvements on the Southern Line, including building a third main in the busiest section of line in south Auckland which will relieve congestion by separating commuter and freight trains.
These projects will help maximise the benefits of the City Rail Link across Auckland and reduce carbon emissions in the city.
Passengers will enjoy better access to the network as well as faster, more frequent services. The improved network will also provide more resilient, faster freight services and support more Kiwi businesses putting their goods on rail.
It is challenging to get these transformative projects done on a live network with trains running day and night. We understand that halting trains will impact the city’s train users and apologise for this.
Huge planning has gone into these three days of uninterrupted track access to ensure we make the most of every hour the network is closed for passengers.
This weekend is the start of a busy summer for us, with further network-wide closures planned for upcoming weekends, and an extended closure over the Christmas holiday period.”
Over Labour Weekend teams will be working at multiple locations including Waitemata (Britomart); Newmarket; Westfield and Wiri Junctions; between Papakura and Pukekohe and at Pukekohe Station.
City Rail Link works will continue at Maungawhau/Mt Eden; earthworks, tree-trimming and some non-native tree removal will also be done within the rail corridor from Quay Park (by the entrance to Ports of Auckland alongside Tamaki Drive).
Preparatory work ahead of the Rail Network Rebuild, which was announced earlier this month, will also be carried out over Labour Weekend.
Work will be carried out 24/7 in some areas. See the attached map for an overview of work.
For more information on KiwiRail’s rail improvement work in Auckland visit:
https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/what-we-do/projects/amp/
For help planning journeys during the Labour Weekend shutdown you can use the AT Mobile App or visit:
at.govt.nz/railclosures
