Franklin councillor Andy Baker joined local board chairs Angela Fulljames and Brent Catchpole at the official completion this week of Pukekohe station – part of KiwiRail’s $419 million extension of the Auckland network.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown did the opening honours and, even though trains won’t roll into town until early next year, council’s representatives were keen to celebrate the milestone.
Baker says trains might have to wait for critical track work to finish, but the redeveloped station and work already done on the line to Papakura deserve to be recognised.
“KiwiRail’s project extends Auckland’s network to Pukekohe, and the new station and installation of 19kms of electric lines will be a game-changer,” he says.
“The advantages it is going to bring to Pukekohe can’t be overstated, faster and more reliable journey times, no switching from old diesel units at Papakura, and new stations planned that will boost usage and serve communities at a local level.”
He says he’s also had productive discussions with KiwiRail about adding more park and ride facilities at the station when the area is clear of construction equipment.
When services return, Baker would also like to see work begin on enhanced bus services to connect with the trains.
Franklin Local Board chair Fulljames says the project has seen more than 800 mast structures installed to support close to 130km of overhead electric line for trains.
“We saw the last pieces of work to bring it all together completed at Matariki, and since then we have also seen units testing the track.
“Pukekohe Station is completely unrecognisable, and the contractors involved have done an astonishing job to deliver a very complex build.”
Papakura chair Catchpole says his community is keenly awaiting the return of trains too.
“There’s no doubt the closure of the line has impacted us in terms of parking near our station, and this is ultimately going to mean thousands of people leaving their cars behind and returning to a much-improved rail service.
“Papakura has had an upgraded station in place for some time, but the future-proofing that is evident here at Pukekohe is a credit to planners.”
KiwiRail chief asset development officer David Gordon says Pukekohe has been given a new lease of life with modern passenger and staff facilities, longer platforms to accommodate modern trains, a new stabling yard and additional tracks that will allow the through-running of freight services.
He says the successful integration of the new infrastructure into the network is a major milestone.
“It’s rewarding to see how far we’ve come and how close we are to the finish line. We want to thank the community for their continued patience as we finish our work before this section of the line reopens in mid-January.”
KiwiRail will also deliver a rail network rebuild before January, taking advantage of the closed line to carry out crucial work between Papakura and Pukekohe to improve reliability.
Stay connected
Sign up for your Local Board E-news and get the latest news and events direct to your inbox each month.
