Weekly Review No.60
This week, Auckland rail closures for 2025/26 are set, KiwiRail rethinks its cycleway closure, and AT's contactless payments launch this weekend
Welcome to the Weekly Review, next week I will be on my honeymoon, and the wonderful Malcolm McCracken from Better Things Are Possible will be running the NZ Transit Buzz X/Twitter account in my absence, the Weekly Review will be taking a short hiatus next week but will be back again on the 29th of November, right now let’s check out the week that was in transport news.
Artwork on train containers depicting flora and fauna found in New Zealand has been seen in Ahuriri as KiwiRail attempts to deter graffiti artists.
Work on the Waitematā Station Plaza is progressing well, the tree pits on Galway Street have been constructed, the main plaza section is mostly untouched and work is currently focused on the Tyler Street rebuild.
City Rail Link has shared a new drone flyover captured at the Maungawhau Station construction site.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown outlined significant disruptions to affect Auckland commuters ahead of the city’s massive City Rail Link project - including 96 days of full network closure in the coming 13 months.
When trains return to Pukekohe Station commuters will be able to catch a train at 5.10 am and every 20 minutes after until 7 pm.
The first of Tranzurban’s new electric double-decker buses has been spotted in Henderson, the bus and 19 others like it will be used on the WX1 and 120 routes supported by other single-decker units when Tranzurban takes over operation of the routes in April 2025.
Metro Canterbury announced that a temporary shuttle with a rear bike rack will be running through the Lyttelton tunnel to service those with bikes while front-mounted bus bike racks are unavailable across the country.
Minister of Transport Simeon Brown has asked the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to “find a fix as soon as possible” after bus operators nationwide instigated a complete ban of bike racks on public transport buses.
Enthusiasts had a chance to see under the chassis, beyond the boiler and through the drive rods of miniature trains last weekend.
Confusion reigns as the nation's bus operators announce an indefinite nationwide ban on the use of bike racks starting tonight.
On Thursday, the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board will vote on whether or not to install a peak-hour clearway or bus lane on Cranford Street, Harrison McEvoy wrote about the options ahead of the vote.
A former CRL construction site at Karanga-a-Hape Station site is up for sale as construction winds down and the commissioning phase ramps up.
Some farmers and rural families are furious over the Government’s review and cancellation of school bus routes, fearing small towns will be abandoned and students will stop attending class.
“Silly”, “stupid”, and “short-sighted” was how many at a cycleway protest described KiwiRail following the transport company’s demands that part of a cycling and walking trail be closed.
City Rail Link has shared a photo of the Victoria Street Entrance to Te Waihorotiu station now the internal scaffolding has been removed.
KiwiRail has announced construction is officially kicking off at Drury Station in mid-November.
Christchurch ratepayers are expected to fork out more than $51 million to improve safety at railway crossings in the city, including an $11m overbridge at Annex Rd.
Richard Hills announced that Auckland Transport will permanently be adding additional morning peak services to the 924 starting next week.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation Ferry Taskforce is backing the call for the new Interislander ferries to be publicly-owned and rail-enabled.
According to Auckland Transport, trains will start operating at the Pukekohe Train Station from February 3, 2025.
The City Rail Link stonemason team has reinstated over 200 of the almost 2000 bluestone blocks along the eastern side of Albert Street, the wall was deconstructed in 2020 with each block numbered and stored off-site.
KiwiRail has backed down on its demand to close a Christchurch cycleway for safety improvements later this week.
A 360-degree virtual tour of Maungawhau Station has been released by City Rail Link.
Due to funding changes in the Government's 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme the Gowing Drive rail underpass has been deferred until post 2027.
Auckland Transport's new North West bus network has exceeded expectations and delivered more than 5 million passenger trips in its first year.
To celebrate Island Direct's first birthday, on Wednesday, November 13 onboard all services there were free hot drinks and sweet and savoury treats all day and from 4:15 Waiheke 'bevvies' were also available.
Contactless payments for Auckland Transport services will be available from November 17, AT has updated posters at train stations and onboard services also some readers have had the HOP-only sticker removed in anticipation of the change.
Auckland ferry commuters are angry their ferry service could still be facing the chopping block.
Seating at a Lambton Quay bus stop has been moved exposing commuters to wind and rain.
‘It’s a steal’ - ex-finance worker selling house with four train carriages in the garden.
City Rail Link has shared photos of the newly installed Maungawhau Station signage.
Most of the OuterLink fleet has had the route stops removed from the top outside of the bus ahead of this weekend's bus network changes.
KiwiRail is still negotiating its exit from a contract to build two new mega ferries almost one year after the Government pulled the plug on the project.
Catherine Tamihere and students from Pukekohe High School are painting a new mural at Pukekohe Station, the mural will be visible from the existing platforms.
The head of Greater Wellington’s transport committee is furious it wasn’t looped into a decision to shift seats at a well-used bus stop on Wellington’s Golden Mile and is calling for them to be put back.
A signal mixup and a lack of engineering fail-safes have been found responsible for an accident involving the Auckland-to-Hamilton passenger train Te Huia in June last year.
The Rural Bus Manawatū has begun service after many years of market research and lobbying to get the van on the road.
Fire and Emergency tested the tunnel hydrant system for the first time on Thursday, people were warned that from 1 PM they may see up to four fire trucks around the Mayoral Drive Te Waihorotiu site area.
An in-lane bus stop on Wellington’s Tinakori Rd was once touted as an example of best practice, It lasted all of 12 months. Following much criticism.
KiwiRail’s C9 project team have replaced the ballasted track at the Eastern end of Waitematā Station with a concrete slab track to support more rail traffic at higher speeds and enable KiwiRail to install nine-car train lengths on all four platforms in the future.
Two years ago, Sandra Sesto-Dekic took on the job of boosting the numbers of Waikato people catching public transport, but when Government subsidies ended and fares increased, her job became much tougher.
The Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board considered three options proposed for the peak-hour lanes between Berwick Street and Innes Road, with the board voting in favour of a peak-hour bus lane, the decision will now sit with the full Council, which will consider the board’s recommendation in December.
