Recognised as an important part of Auckland’s future rail network, the Avondale to Southdown rail corridor has backing from the Puketāpapa Local Board, supporting continued progress on the project and the ongoing protection of the corridor’s designation.
The 13-kilometere, two-track corridor runs through large sections of the Puketāpapa Local Board area, travelling from Avondale via Wesley, Mt Roskill, and Onehunga to KiwiRail's Southdown freight hub, enabling better passenger transport in Auckland and freight movement in New Zealand.
The 30-year Strategic Rail Programme, launched at the end of 2023 by KiwiRail and Auckland Transport, identified the Avondale-Southdown development as a critical part of Auckland’s and New Zealand’s future rail network, required in the next 15-20 years.
Recently members of the Puketāpapa Local Board checked out the Avondale to Southdown route, and chair Roseanne Hay believes it would unlock vital passenger – as well as – crucial freight movements for Auckland.
“The Avondale to Southdown corridor has been set aside for rail for 71 years, and if it goes ahead, it will create another key rail line that serves many purposes, including new options for passengers to move around the Auckland isthmus, improved network reliability, and a more efficient national freight route.
“With three potential new stations at Wesley, Mt Roskill and Hillsborough, the project would add to the great bus services we have in Puketāpapa, ensuing a high-level of public transport offering and overall improved connections to the rest of the Auckland.”
The new section of track would be the biggest development in Auckland’s rail network since the Britomart railway station back in 2003, along with the City Rail Link (CRL).
Key points of the Avondale to Southdown line
- Integrates with and enhances the existing rail network - including City Rail Link.
- Moves 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.
- Connects communities across the isthmus, improving accessibility and creating greater access to employment and education opportunities.
- Provides 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.
- Creates new urban development potential, such as more affordable housing and more vibrant shared community spaces.
What happens next?
KiwiRail are continuing their feasibility and scoping study and will be publishing results later this year.
Across the next 18-24 months our next steps Kiwirail will look to progress safeguarding the existing corridor designation, which otherwise expires in 2029, ensuring the project’s long-term viability.
The development of a new rail line requires a comprehensive design and planning process, which would need to take place before any construction would commence.