Weekly Review No.117
Inside this edition: work progresses on the Level Crossing Removal Project, new murals brighten the rail network and Dunedin’s bus network gets a weekend boost.
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New signage has been erected after the country’s most-struck rail bridge claimed yet another victim, but there are doubts the extra signage will stop the regular crashes.
Auckland city’s first plug-in hybrid electric fast ferry has completed sea trials and will soon enter service on the busy Auckland to Devonport commuter route.
Connect – Horizons Regional Transport will introduce a new bus network to Whanganui. From April 17, there will be two high-frequency routes, operating every 20 minutes, and three routes operating hourly. Services would run on all routes seven days a week.
A new toilet facility has popped up in a remote area in Merton Station Rd, near Karitane. A KiwiRail spokesman said the trackside facility was built for all staff working in, or along, the rail corridor.
Following a fault over the weekend, the Wellington Cable Car has reopened for regular service. WCC have not specified what the fault was.
Over the Waitangi long weekend rail network closure, crews from KiwiRail lifted new station shelters into place at Henderson Station, as well as installing the new staircase for the emergency egress and added a copper/bronze look finish on the new retaining wall.
Auckland Transport have begun replacing the on-train safety information with updated posters with information about emergency tunnel egress procedures related to the City Rail Link tunnels.
Porirua ratepayers could face reduced public transport and flood protection services if the Government proceeds with proposed rates capping, Greater Wellington has warned.
Though the seven-month-old Malaghans Rd ‘back road’ bus service between Queenstown’s CBD and Arrowtown is still only a trial, it’s ‘‘performing well’’, Otago Regional Council (ORC) states.
Works on the level crossing removal at Takaanini have crews currently based trackside working on foundations for the new lift shaft and the supports for the staircase. The station shelter has had part of its roof removed, likely to connect the new bridge roof to it.
At Te Mahia, the station lift structure has been partially glazed, with crews also working trackside to construct the new foundations for the new lift and stairs, which are to be installed at this station.
An electric hydrofoiling passenger boat will be trialled on Lake Whakatipu, exploring future transport links between the Kingston township on the southern end of the lake and Queenstown.
Works are also progressing at Glen Innes on the new station overbridge, the lift shaft has begun to be framed out for glazing and the forms for the stair supports are being prepared to be poured with the base of the stairs already installed.
Crews are now working in the station carpark to create the foundations for the new lift and stairs to connect up with the station. The level crossing to Merton Road was permanently closed late in 2025.
Late on Monday evening, Auckland Transport announced that due to a track issue between Newmarket and Waitematā Stations, there would be no trains running between the two stations on February 10.
KiwiRail announced at around 11:30 pm that it discovered faulty track work carried out by contractors in the tunnel over the Waitangi Weekend network closure. At the time of the discovery, track assessments were underway with no scheduled repair estimate.
Auckland Transport then confirmed on the morning of February 10 that the track issue had been resolved and normal service would resume for the morning peak.
Bus stops in South Invercargill are plagued with issues around safety, damage and graffiti, a group of rangatahi pushing for change says.
Trams are not currently operating at MOTAT while crews work to replace the overhead wires on the section of track near Motions Road. The works are part of ongoing maintenance works. Trams are expected to be back on track from February 14.
A KiwiRail contractor is “mortified” after eight welds which join the train tracks together tested faulty in Auckland.
City Rail Link shared an update on the commissioning progress at Maungawhau (Mount Eden) Station.
Final touches across the station’s various areas, including around the escalators, plaza, and ticket hall.
The streetscape and green spaces are almost complete.
Other work also being undertaken is the caulking of various locations to ensure everything is air-tight, energy-efficient and mould resistant.
Also, a green grass seed-looking dust has been set down outside the station; this is a dust suppressant.
A new trackside mural in Papatoetoe by artist John Apelu Crouch has been completed. The mural connects with an earlier mural on the opposite side of the Station Road bridge and is designed to reduce graffiti.
Cleardrain South recently assisted the Lumsden Heritage Trust in waterblasting locomotives donated by the Scobie Family ahead of their move to the Tuatupere Station & the Lumsden Heritage Trust Precinct on March 5.
The Ormondville station building is to be repaired by KiwiRail following a wagon colliding with the canopy of the station. The ironwork and the timber facia along the length of the canopy were damaged and will need to be repaired.
A temporary shelter has been installed at the interim Te Waihorotiu Station stop. This stop is in place until the stop near the station opens later this year.
Manawatū parents and caregivers are dipping into their savings and even taking out loans to fund a bus service to get their children to school.
The old signals shed at Pukekohe Station has been repainted in a celebration of Aotearoa’s native skinks and the pōhuehue vine by artist Chelsea Parker. The mural is part of KiwiRail’s beautification pilot to reduce tagging on graffiti hotspots.
Plans for a cable car system to ease Queenstown’s transport woes have been released early, giving the public its first detailed look at the proposal.
As part of the Te Ara Hauāuru, the Northwest Rapid Transit Project fast track submission, NZTA has shared new renders of Brigham Creek Rarawaru station & Royal Road Mānutewhau station.
South Invercargill rangatahi have made a case for trialling bus stop improvements, and their ambitions struck one city councillor as a summary superior to some he had seen from well-paid consultants.
Pavlovich Coachlines has been selected to transport hundreds of performers to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Auckland’s Eden Park from 19 – 21 February.
A North Island property with a fully functioning 370-metre miniature railway has hit the market for sale, attracting calls from around the country.
In a recent TikTok by Waiheke Bus Content Creator jomar 8 tv, it is revealed that the Alexander Dennis Enviro100 EV Demonstrator is currently with the Waiheke Bus Company. It is unclear how long the bus will be with WBC and there is no confirmation around fleet number.
Phantom Billstickers has partnered with Auckland Transport, MBM and Federation to convert a corner site on Karangahape Road into a full-scale, hand-painted AT locomotive.
By Matt Lowrie at Greater Auckland: The Western Line to Newmarket Question. What’s faster, a less frequent direct service or a more frequent service that requires a transfer?
The final stretch of the Eastern Busway in Botany can now get underway, NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Council have confirmed $101 million in funding to build the Botany link route at Guys Reserve.
@LewisHoldenNZ on X has worked out KiwiRail’s most reliable locomotive through information in an Official Information Act request about the Mean Distance Between Failures (MDBF), which KiwiRail tracks its locos with. The EF locomotives came in 5th, with the DF locomotives taking out first place.
Orbus Dunedin saw 7,500 bus trips taken in Dunedin last Saturday. Usually, Dunedin sees around 4,000 bus trips on Saturdays. The increase was due to the free event buses operating for the 2026 George Street Market.
The Spedding Industrial development shared a drone flyover of their site, which also appears to show the construction of a depot building and workshop for Tranzit’s Westgate depot. The video appears to show the framing for a workshop and the foundations for the depot office.
The Maritime Union of New Zealand is concerned about the well-being of seafarers on board the former Interislander ferry Aratere, now called the Vega, which is anchored in Tasman Bay waiting to sail to India.
Auckland Transport will be installing 2 bus layover spaces at the Parr Road North car park in Point Chevalier. AT says construction will start mid-2026.
Railway level crossing safety in Tawa has received a boost with the opening of automatic pedestrian gates at McLellan Street.
As the 84 Rolleston Direct West and 85 Rolleston Direct East buses near the end of the trial period, Metro Canterbury is asking passengers to fill out a survey about the service.
Auckland Transport have opened consultation for a new bus route as well as infrastructure changes/improvements for Whenuapai.
New 115 to follow 114 between Westgate & Whenuapai TC ONLY.
New bus stop at 54 Brigham Creek Rd near BP.
Broken Yellow Lines replacing on-street parking.
Bus turnaround in the Kopuru Rd/Lilly Trc area.
Upgrading the bus stop at 114 Totara Rd to accommodate two buses.
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