Weekly Review No.136
Inside this edition: City Depot’s electrification works go sky high, CRL shares more station previews and electric buses coming to Napier & Hastings.
Kia ora and welcome to the Weekly Review. We are where you are, follow us on X, BlueSky and Instagram @NZTransitBuzz.
Hamilton city leaders have hauled fellow regional decision-makers over the tracks, accusing them of a “breach of trust’’ around an unexpected 25% hike in Te Huia passenger fares.
Port of Auckland has shared photos of the recently completed ground floor slab of the new International Cruise Terminal (Te Waharoa), which will include a new pick-up and drop-off area for buses and taxis going sightseeing around the region.
Rail Minister Winston Peters has signaled new interislander ferries might be in operation earlier than the 2029 deadline.
Auckland Transport has shared a timelapse showing the full completion process for the new Glen Innes Station pedestrian bridge. AT noted at the end of the post that the bridge will be ‘opening soon’.
Via Lewis Holden: The Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) has announced its third tranche of legislation to be repealed as part of its Legislative Repeals Project. Lewis takes a rail-focused look at what was, and what might’ve been.
At Takaanini Station:
All foundation and ground preparation work has now been completed
Extended platform edges are in place
All three lift shafts have been built
The external structures are finished
The lifts’ mechanical and electrical systems are being installed
At Te Mahia:
Glass has been installed in all three lift shafts
Work has moved inside the shafts to install the lift systems
The central stairs and railings have been installed
The pedestrian bridge on the eastern and western sides is in place
People catching a GizzyBus or Waka Kura bus can now track their bus live, thanks to a new “Know before you go” feature on the Council’s website. The new live bus maps and timetables let passengers check where the bus is before they leave. The live tracking system is part of ongoing improvements to bus transport services.
Sections of the overhead charging gantry have been delivered to Kinetics City Depot ahead of installation works to further electrify the depot. The overhead charging gantry will be similar to the one installed at Glenfield depot.
Auckland Transport will be undertaking upgrade works to the Hobsonville Point Wharf Pontoon. The upgrades will allow a wider range of ferries, including new electric and electric-hybrid vessels, to berth. Works are set to run between late June and late September, between 7 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday, with some Saturday and night works as needed.
WORKS:
Pontoon extended around 6 metres
Removal of 3 piles and install 2 new ones
Future-proofing for ferry charging infrastructure
A stencil design by local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki will be installed and unveiled once complete
Environment Canterbury has shared that following strong feedback from the community, Aranui’s new trial bus service will run hourly between New Brighton and The Palms Shopping Centre.
More than 870 submissions were received and 64% of respondents voted for The Palms. Staff are working with Christchurch City Council and Kinetic to finalise details for the new service, including its timetable and planned stops. The 12-month trial service will begin later this year.
Clarks Coaches have welcomed a new bus to their fleet, which has arrived from Coachwork Central. The bus is expected to be on the road by the end of the month.
The opening of the City Rail Link is set for a Sunday, with a series of open days also slated for the lead-up to the grand opening, but an actual date is yet to be announced.
Fifteen people were evacuated from the Fantasyland Express train after it became stranded on a bridge when an axle broke.
City Rail Link has shared further photos from inside Te Waihorotiu Station. The photos include the ‘kids art’ wall, the Victoria Street entrance, the upper passenger concourse and a look up from the platform to the Albert Street skylights.
Crews have constructed a new retaining wall along the Western Line between New Lynn and Avondale Stations. Previously, this section had a large cliff and no earthworks to prevent slips or subsidence.
Auckland Transport will be undertaking works from June 22 to 10 July to improve the bus stop outside 22 Anzac Ave, Stop 7140. The footpath will be widened to increase accessibility through this area and road markings will be updated to match.
KiwiRail and NZ Police are urging members of the public to report suspicious behaviour around the rail corridor as incidents of theft soar in the Wellington Region, disrupting freight and commuter services.
During April, services on the Hutt Valley Line needed to be cancelled six times, and more than 50 services experienced delays as a result of stolen rail equipment, costing passengers time and money.
As much as 5km of cable has gone missing from the Wairarapa alone in the past six months, and while the scrap cost is very low, the cost to replace these cables runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
City Rail Link has shared photos captured in Karanga-a-Hape Station showing the completed station fitout. Photos include the platform cross passage, Beresford Square ticket gate and artwork in the entranceway.
ARA Heritage Buses have teased the latest bus to join their preserved bus fleet. All that is currently known about the bus is that it is a MAN.
New bus lanes on Wellington’s harbour quays could improve air quality on the capital’s Golden Mile, where pollution levels have slightly worsened over the past two years because of more diesel buses on the road.
The Government has approved up to $22.4 million in funding to support the rail component of Te Utanganui - a major new freight hub in Palmerston North. Te Utanganui is an intermodal distribution hub in the lower North Island that links rail, road, air and sea.
A KiwiRail track notice has gone out confirming that on June 30 at 4 pm, the ownership and governance of the City Rail Railway Line will transfer from Link Alliance to KiwiRail. This is one of the steps involved ahead of the CRL opening in the second half of 2026.
A new poster has appeared at Henderson Station showcasing the new East-West line, which will replace the existing Western Line when CRL opens. Trains will travel via the CRL tunnels from Swanson to Manukau. West trains will no longer travel via Newmarket.
Fulton Hogan has been appointed to deliver Stage 2 of the Rolleston Access Improvements project. The next stage will be a new bridge over SH1 and the railway line.
Rail infrastructure upgrades and a network-wide dress rehearsal will be carried out while Auckland’s rail network is closed over Matariki weekend, including the day prior, Thursday 9 July.
The closures, from Thursday 9 July to Sunday 12 July 2026, will see KiwiRail and Auckland Transport progress rail infrastructure upgrades to support City Rail Link’s opening and progress on safer level crossings. They include works on three new station bridges to replace level crossings, track renewals and progress on three new Drury Stations.
The closures also include one day of trialling Day 1 CRL operations and the future Monday to Friday timetable.
To keep people moving, a full programme of rail replacement buses will be available during all rail closures, as well as local regularly scheduled bus services which run at least every 15 minutes 7 am till 7 pm. People on the Southern and Western Lines will also have the option of express rail bus services on Thursday, 9 July.
Wellington’s next global pop concert or international football quarter‑final at Hnry Stadium could see a few dollars from every ticket going to Metlink to cover public transport.
Cambridge’s main bus service could be split in two. Instead of a single Route 20 linking Leamington, Cambridge and Hamilton, the service could branch at the town centre into two routes.
A 20L bus would continue serving Leamington, while 20N would extend into northern Cambridge.
Napier and Hastings will have an all-electric urban bus fleet starting in 2027. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has awarded Tranzit Group a new nine-year contract to deliver the urban bus services. The contract is expected to start on 1 August 2027. New buses will have next-stop audio and visual announcements, CCTV inside and outside buses and the charging infrastructure supplied by Kwetta.
Auckland Transport has shared an Eastern Busway update showing how Pōhatu bus station in Burswood is progressing. Photos also show how the Tī Rākau Bridge shared path is almost complete.
BUSIT has announced that an EV bus will be running on the Tokoroa 30 and 31 services from July 6. The bus has USB ports, AirCon, a bike rack and two wheelchair bays.
Otago Regional Council is consulting on changes to the public transport network in Dunedin and Queenstown. Councillors on Wednesday endorsed consultation about a proposed new zone-based fare system, fare capping, and the possibility of removing cash fares.
During the consultation between 13 July and 29 July 2026 people will be asked to choose zone options for both networks.
The Council is also considering introducing fare capping. A decision on the new zone and fare changes will be considered by the Council in September. If approved, they be phased in between October 2026 and mid- 2027.
Several former KiwiRail DX locomotives are being loaded onto the EEMSLIFT DAFNE to be shipped to South Africa. In December 2025, Traxtion purchased the 46 DX locomotives, which will be shipped in tranches. The DX locomotives are being replaced with the DM Class locomotives.
Work is about to begin on the first leg of the City to Sea Rail Trail from Longburn to Himatangi. The project involves transforming 31 kilometres of the former Foxton railway corridor into a multi-use path.
Trains Taranaki will present a petition to Parliament on Tuesday, 30 June, calling on the Government to reinstate regular passenger rail services connecting New Plymouth, Whanganui, Palmerston North, and Wellington.
Otago Regional Council will begin a once-a-day public transport service between Ōamaru and Dunedin from October this year. It will be operated by Go Bus on full-size buses.
SERVICE DETAILS:
The service will commence on 1 October 2026
Leaves North Ōamaru at 8.20 am
Leaves Dunedin at 5.05 pm
The Ōamaru route runs via Eden Street and South Hill
Stops in Maheno, Hampden, Palmerston and Waikouaiti Maheno, Hampden, Palmerston and Waikouaiti (and possibly Herbert)
From 29 June, Bee Cards can be purchased from Watersports at the Blue Shed, Frankton Marina. From 29 June, you’ll be unable to top up or buy a Bee Card from i-SITE, but you can still head along to the Orbus Ferries kiosk at Steamer Wharf for these services.
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