Weekly Review No.135
Inside this edition: Bus stop shelters for all, Wellington’s Johnsonville Line reopens following derailment and AT unveils updated network map.
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KiwiRail could have prevented the partial collapse of a key South Island rail bridge that could have caused a catastrophic derailment, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission has found.
Metlink said bus replacements on Wellington’s Johnsonville Line had been extended until the end of Sunday due to the incident.
@thomas_manch on X has shared a photo captured late on Friday evening showing the damaged Matangi train carriage being trucked away from Khandallah Station.
The unit has been shrink-wrapped to protect it during the drive north for the investigation works to take place.
The Ministry of Education is urgently seeking answers after a nonverbal, autistic boy was left in a Ritchies van for hours. This comes as it launches a broader review into government-funded school transport for disabled students.
Zones are back on the table for Otago bus users on the same day as Labour made a pitch to ride the buses for $10 a week. In both areas, a flat $2.50 price is charged at the moment for a trip across the network.
Metlink have shared images of crews at a feedback session with a mock up of the Tūhono cab. Metlink are working alongside drivers and train managers to test and refine layout, visibility and ergonomics. The trains are being constructed in partnership with Alstom, Transdev, Metlink and KiwiRail.
Saturday marked the final day of operations for the 154 and 172 routes in West Auckland, with the routes to be replaced by 2 new frequent routes, 15 & 17.
KiwiRail is using a rail maintenance contractor it temporarily stood down in Auckland earlier this year over “faulty” track welding, saying it’s confident crews have been sufficiently retrained.
Sunday saw the introduction of the 17 and 15, which replaced the 172 and the 154 in West Auckland. Sunday also saw Ritchies begin operations of the former Kinetic-operated routes in West Auckland, including the 14, 125, 162 and other routes.
By Darren Davis via Adventures in Transitland: The train excursion to Tauranga on May 2 sold out in record time. But what needs to happen for regular passenger rail to the Bay of Plenty to become a reality again?
The Pukerua Bay Residents’ Association has shared that Metlink has installed a bus stop shelter at the Pukerua Bay Station stop.
Anna Atkinson from the Upper Harbour Local Board has said AT are planning to relocate a shelter to replace a school bus stop in Paremoremo that was hit by a car, destroyed and removed. The stop is expected to come from upgrades at Westgate in August.
Ritchies Transport have been refurbishing its diesel fleet. Recently, a number of buses from Swanson Depot returned to service featuring new interiors. RT980 was one of the more recent refurbishments that returned to service a couple of weeks ago.
A looming bus ban on Hamilton’s Victoria St has sparked both commuter fury and forth-right assurances that its not a pre-cursor to full pedestrianisation. Under current regional council plans the Northern Connector service (Chartwell to Huntington Drive) to will move off the city’s main street of Victoria Street, from November 2027, with the remaining Hamilton urban routes expected to move to Anglesea St by July 2028
Via Greater Auckland: KiwiRail has provided Greater Auckland with a guest post explaining how they will be approaching track maintenance and renewal in the future.
Works are underway to fence off the former Platform 2 at Waitematā Station. The platform has no connection to the existing tracks in the tunnel and fencing off the platform will allow for more passengers to wait safely on Platform 1.
Rolleston’s park and ride squeeze could be about to get worse, with no new facilities on the horizon and roadworks expected to spell the end of overflow parking on grass near the town’s busiest commuter hub.
Auckland Transport are installing a new bus stop on Sel Peacock Drive in Henderson. This bus stop will now form a matching pair with the stop opposite the road, allowing for easier trips to Lincoln Interchange.
Auckland Transport has introduced the Hui Pass. The Hui Pass is for conference or event organisers who want to provide attendees with an easy way to get around Auckland on public transport.
The Hui Pass can be ordered via email 4 weeks in advance with a minimum order of 50 at $20 per card. Cards can also be customised with a unique design, or event or sponsor branding.
Concerns are being raised about driver training under the Ministry of Education’s school transport service for children with special needs, after two youths were left inside for hours in separate incidents.
Train delays on the Kapiti line on Wednesday morning were caused by trespassers in a tunnel attempting to steal copper cables. KiwiRail’s General Manager for the Wellington Metro Network, Andy Lyon, said the trespassers had left the site by the time Police were alerted.
Auckland Transport will be installing a bus shelter at the bus stop opposite 713 Mt Albert Road, outside the Royal Oak shopping mall. This stop is served by the frequent Route 66 and 295 services. Installation is scheduled to take place between August and September.
Metlink have shared a survey for those who take ferry trips between Wellington and the eastern bays of Wellington Harbour for commuter and recreational visits to gather data on how to improve the service.
Wellington Cable Car have launched a new website, which will allow passengers to top up online Adult 5, 10, and 25-Trip passes. Memberships and other concession or special pass types are not currently available through the online top-up portal.
Fares will also increase by up to $1 from 1 July 2026. WCC said Multi-trip Cards and memberships are not changing.
The dates for the cable car’s annual maintenance shutdown were also announced and will be from 27 July to 3 August.
Half of Ivanhoe Rd’s homes will soon be forcibly acquired by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and torn down to make way for a multibillion-dollar busway project.
A station beacon has been erected on Beresford Square outside Karanga-a-Hape Station. The station beacon is not yet lit but will light up in the future as other station beacons do across the transport network.
Te Huia passenger numbers are expected to fall by nearly 7% after the Waikato Regional Council approved a fare increase. Council modelling forecasts annual patronage will fall 6.8% to 72,823 passenger trips under the new fares. However, fare revenue is expected to increase 13.6%, generating an additional $124,502 over 12 months, according to the modelling.
Auckland Transport have shared an updated version of the AT Network Map, which shows all bus, train and ferry routes and was updated in June 2026.
Auckland Transport has released updated renderings and unveiled changes to the proposed Whangaparāoa Bus Station.
Changes:
More Kiss and ride sports
Larger main building and space for future facilities, like a coffee kiosk
Outdoor courtyard
Improved bike storage
Better CCTV coverage
KiwiRail has been forced to reveal how retiring its Aratere ferry early has reduced the resilience of the already under-strain Cook Strait service, following an Ombudsman investigation.
Wellington City Council has agreed to spend up to $40 million on achievable inner-city improvements, including options for Courtney Place improvements and faster public transport through the central spine.
Auckland Transport is installing new driver facilities at the Sylvia Park layover for buses servicing Sylvia Park bus routes 32, 66, 298 and 782.
A temporary facility has been set up under the SH1 overpass, with a new facility being installed adjacent to the layover bay. It’s understood that the facility is a single unit which will be keypad locked with a pin only known to bus drivers of the above routes.
AT is looking into a temporary bus route, with smaller buses, to service Scott Point residents - a new subdivision near Hobsonville in Auckland’s north-west. There was a long route option connecting Scott Point to the ferry, via Wallace Road, and a shorter route option from Scott Point to the Hobsonville shops. Both options would require small 13-seater, wheelchair accessible buses because standard-sized buses were too big for Scott Point roads.
Major work on an overbridge at the Auckland Street end of Dublin Street in Picton will start in early 2027, with the KiwiRail-led project expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete. The Dublin Street overbridge will improve safety and strengthen connections between Waitohi Picton’s main centre and Port side of town.
KiwiRail will build on the work done in 2023, which included relocating underground services at the Dublin and Auckland Street intersection and reconfiguring driveway access for residents. Initial work is scheduled to begin at the end of the year, with the road closing at the Auckland / Dublin Street intersection from early 2027 when main works get underway. Detours for traffic during construction are yet to be confirmed.
They’re getting ready to do the Loco-Motion in Invercargill next year, celebrating the completion of what’s been a tireless seven-year effort so far by a bunch of steam train enthusiast volunteers who’ve been lovingly restoring an old Invercargill locomotive.
Whau Local Board have announced that the bus stop at 73 Stottholm Road has received a shelter as part of the board-funded upgrades. This stop currently serves a number of local school buses for the nearby Green Bay Schools, including Green Bay High and Route 195.
Members of an Auckland community have been left frustrated by what some say is a weekly occurrence of buses getting stuck and even crashing. Auckland Transport operates buses in Laingholm, which it contracts out to Ritchies; however, residents have raised concerns after incidents of buses getting stuck, lost, and crashing on the suburb’s hilly, windy roads.
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