Simple fixes for improving Auckland’s rail bus services
While there have been some small upgrades to the rail bus service, there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
It's been a few years since I last wrote about ideas to improve Auckland's Rail Bus services.
Rail buses are a pain but they don’t have to be
This is a post from TodayFM.co.nz originally uploaded in October 2022
Since then, we've seen some minor changes to the rail bus routes, the introduction of express replacement buses, and an overall upgrade in bus quality, thanks to the electrification of other bus lines across the city. This has freed up slightly more modern buses for use on rail replacement services. However, there's still room for further improvements.
Imagine trying to find your rail bus at one of Auckland's busy bus stops. You’d have to carefully read the passenger display of each bus to find the right one or hope your bus pulls into the correct stop. But what if they stood out more?
Recently, Sydney closed the T3 Bankstown line to rebuild it as a Metro service. During this year-long closure, buses are replacing trains seven days a week. Despite using whatever spare buses are available, they’ve made them stand out by giving them BRIGHT PINK fronts and a rail bus-specific livery, as shown in this example from Every Sydney Station.
Auckland could benefit from a similar approach. Not only would the rail buses be more noticeable in a crowded bus stop, but the distinct livery would also highlight how often train services are being replaced by buses. Plus, this gives us the opportunity to turn the buses into rolling billboards, displaying information about rail closures and the work being done to improve the network.
We have created a very quick render of what this could look like in action.
On a recent trip to Wellington, I came across a sign at Paraparaumu station that clearly communicated upcoming rail closures.
It used a simple calendar layout to show the exact days of disruptions and whether the closure lasted all day or part of the day. There was also a link to more detailed information on the Metlink website, rather than cramming all the details onto a single network-wide poster.
Auckland could adopt a similar approach to make rail replacement schedules clearer and more user-friendly.
Recent line closures have seen partial train operations while other sections are closed. A simple way to communicate this is through an easy-to-understand map I saw on X/Twitter, which used a red-and-green colour scheme to clearly show where trains are running and where replacement buses are in operation.
Messages like these are familiar to most public transport users:
"Buses will replace all train services across all lines this evening."
"Expect delays on bus routes 38 and 309 due to road closures."
"Ferry services may be delayed or cancelled due to weather conditions."
While such delays and cancellations are inevitable, how they are communicated can make a big difference in how passengers experience these disruptions.
Currently, Auckland Transport and Metlink mostly rely on in-app notifications, social media posts, and signage near transport options. Unfortunately, many of these communications use vague messages like "STOP CLOSED" or "BUSES REPLACE TRAINS," which fail to provide context or details.
Let’s compare two posts—one from V/Line and one from Auckland Transport.
Both announce a rail closure, but only the V/Line post explains what work is being done. This kind of transparency helps passengers understand why the closure is necessary, particularly when the work involves things like overhead line maintenance, which might not be visible to the public.
By improving the way these messages are communicated, transport providers can help reduce the frustration passengers feel during disruptions.