City Rail Link is OPENING on 13 September

Aucklanders, we are counting down! The city is about to experience the biggest change the city's rail network has seen in generations.

The City Rail Link (CRL) is opening on Sunday 13 September, bringing a new rail network, new timetable, new stations, new frequency, and improved station neighbourhoods.

It entirely re-shapes the way we can move around our city. 

Today's announcement of CRL’s opening date by the Minister of Transport and Mayor of Auckland comes just under six weeks before opening day.

So, jump on AT’s new CRL Preview Journey Planner, available through the AT Mobile app, and plan your new way of moving around the region.

The 3.45km twin-tunnel underground and new stations - Te Waihorotiu, Karanga-a-Hape and Maungawhau - are set to transform Auckland’s rail network - improving cross-city connections and unlocking new opportunities for growth.

CRL in Karanga-a-Hape Station. Photo credit: Mark Barber.

First Looks

To get a feel for the new stations ahead of the network’s opening, preview them at three First Look events in August.

• First Look at Maungawhau – 8 August
• First Look at Karanga-a-Hape – 15 August
• First Look at Te Waihorotiu – 22 August

The finished Waihorotiu CRL station. Photo credit: AT.

Tickets for the event are free and you can book up to six at a time. Book your hour-long viewing window at crl.iticket.co.nz.

Public transport is free with your event ticket, and everyone goes in the draw to win a KiwiRail Great Journeys ‘Golden Ticket’ return journey for two adults on any scenic train – there is one golden ticket up for grabs at every session.

CRL’s everyday benefits

What will this public transport step-change mean for Aucklanders in the north, south, east and west*?

South

• People who live in Papakura or near any station on the South City (S-C) line will have direct rail connections into the city with two more stations in central Auckland – Te Waihorotiu Station and Karanga-a-Hape Station. This opens up direct access to jobs, universities, restaurants, shops and theatres in the city centre.
• From Te Waihorotiu Station, with entrances / exits at Wellesley and Victoria Streets, there will be frequent buses to the North Shore; and from Waitematā Station, buses and ferries to the North Shore are a short walk from the platforms.
• Two new stations have opened on the S-C line between Papakura and Pukekohe – Drury Station and Paerātā Station - with a third, Ngākōroa Station, to be built in Drury West. The stations have a bus interchange right outside. 65,000 people are predicted to live in Drury by 2050. That’s more than the population of Rotorua.
• Onehunga residents will have the Onehunga West (O-W) line on their doorstep once CRL opens on 13 September, taking them further west as far as Henderson during off peak - or to the city centre via a quick transfer at Newmarket Station.

North

• The Northern Busway is an example of good investment in public transport infrastructure. The busway has proven to be easy to use, quick, cost-effective, frequent – and is well-used.
• People arriving in downtown – at the Albert Street bus interchange - on the NX1 or on a ferry will simply walk through Te Komititanga – downtown’s central square - and step on a train at Waitematā Station.
• Other North Shore buses – such as the NX2  – will arrive at the Wellesley Street bus interchange which sits at the heart of the CRL rail system, with quick and easy transfers to the rail network via Te Waihorotiu Station.

West

• From day one of CRL the train journey from the west into the city will be quicker. The new CRL underground tunnels eliminate the need to go via Newmarket, creating a more direct trip, significantly reducing travel times.
• The journey will take just 35 minutes from Henderson Station to Te Waihorotiu Station – getting to and from work in the city centre or into the midtown arts quarter in the evenings on one single train via the East West (E-W) line.
• Operating until around 11pm seven days a week (every 30 minutes after 9pm), and a little later on Friday and Saturday nights, people will have the freedom to come and see a show in the city centre by train, without needing to think about parking, taxis or train changes.

East

• Before CRL, people would have taken multiple trains from the east to the west or south. With CRL, people will travel from stations in the east to Eden Park or Manukau, for example, on a single train using the E-W line.
• From 13 September, rail journeys from Panmure to Karangahape Road will take 21 minutes (14 minutes quicker); Ellerslie to Karangahape Road will take 17 minutes (19 minutes quicker); and Glen Innes to Te Waihorotiu will take 15 minutes (10 minutes quicker). 

*These are peak travel estimates using public transport. 

For an outline of the new train lines, a City Rail Link information brochure is available in eight languages on the Auckland Transport website.

CRL’s big-picture benefits

Experts say CRL will lift Auckland as an international contender for talent, investment capital, tourism revenue and big events.

Councillor Andy Baker, who is Chair of Auckland Council’s Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee, says the new CRL-enabled network, upgrade of neighbourhoods around new stations, and higher frequency timetable will all improve how the city moves, grows and competes.

“At the First Look events, and when the new stations and lines open on 13 September, I think Aucklanders will be proud of what they see.

“We have built stunning long-term assets for the city. Our city centre has been regenerated, and we’re ready. I’m excited Aucklanders will soon get to enjoy it,” he says.

Auckland Council Director of Resilience and Infrastructure Barry Potter says CRL is the largest, most complex transport project undertaken in New Zealand for decades.

“And the more people use the rail network and the more vehicles come off the roads, the more sustainable Auckland becomes,” says Mr Potter.  

Read about the anticipated benefits of CRL.  

Aucklanders are discovering that all three city centre station neighbourhoods are ready ahead of the opening of CRL, with renewed streets, spaces, footpaths, bus shelters, rain gardens, trees and public art.