What happened during Auckland’s annual rail network shutdown?

For the past three years I have travelled about Auckland’s Rail lines during KiwiRail’s annual summer shutdown here is a look at the 2023/24 works.

In December of 2021 I ventured out and started taking photos of all the work happening along Auckland’s rail network during KiwiRail’s Summer Shutdown.

Then in 2022, I took it upon myself to make this a yearly thread, but this time I shook things up focusing on the work rather than individual stations. 

This year is no different, for the third year in a row I have taken to the tracks to document what work KiwiRail and its partners have gotten up to on Auckland’s rail network during the 20-day network shutdown. (At the time of publishing work is still ongoing along the Western Line and between Newmarket - Waitematā (Britomart) and The Strand - Waitematā and is expected to be completed by January 22.

Below are some of the highlights of the 2023/24 Shutdown thread, the full thread can be found here. 

Near Sturges Road Station a slip that formed during the floods of January 2023 has been one of the core worksites along the Western line as crews worked to build a retaining wall to stabilise the area and prevent further slips along this section of track.

The western line has been impacted by several slips along the line with the next set of slips backing onto Waikumete Cemetery between Sunnyvale and Glen Eden stations, when we visited the sites the slips had been stabilised, and only a site office remained near this access point to the tracks.  

Just past Fruitvale Road and near New Lynn Station the large slip which backs onto the Manawa Wetland Reserve has mostly been stabilised and repaired with crews having worked during 2023 to make the area stable and build a new retaining wall.

KiwiRail crews have been working hard between Avondale and Mt Albert as part of Stage 3a of the Rail Network Rebuild where crews have been replacing track beds and improving drainage. 

It is more of the same at Mt Albert Station with construction crews replacing the base layers of the track bed and improving the trackside drainage systems.

Tracks aren’t the only things getting an upgrade at Rossgrove Avenue near Baldwin Avenue Station the level crossing has been completely removed and is being rebuilt.

At the Mangawhau (Mt Eden) City Rail Link (CRL) site the majority of track works on the Western line are now complete and what remains is streetscape, platform-level and tunnel fit-out works.

Crews in the Porters Avenue section of the CRL track are wiring up the overhead mains as well as finishing streetscape works.

At the Normanby Road section of the CRL site, most of the rail work is done and crews continue to work on the tunnels and overhead line, much of the streetscape works are now done and these areas will be handed back to Auckland Transport shortly if they haven’t been already. 

Most of the Southern Line between Newmarket and Ōtāhuhu as well as the Onehunga line had no works I could see being done on them, this is likely due to Stage 1 of the Rail Network Rebuild. 

At Middlemore large-scale works have kicked off as KiwiRail and Auckland Transport rebuild the station to make way for the third main, crews have temporarily extended the city-bound platform to allow trains to run as normal while work takes place at the northern end of the platform where the old shelter has been demolished and new accessways have been constructed over the break.

The Spartan Road level crossing has been rebuilt during the shutdown and the pedestrian crossing has new Strail crossings made from rubber. 

At the future site of Drury Station, things are starting to get underway with piling being done for the station and some platform edges installed as well as a site office being established.

Further along the line at the future site of Ngākōroa Station platform edges are now in place with the station construction due to get underway shortly, as this station is going to be a side platform station fewer line closures should be needed to construct the station. 

The location of the future Paerātā station makes it quite difficult to see how construction is progressing, thankfully there is a small council reserve so we can pop the drone up and see the works happening at the station from a distance, It appears that station earthworks have begun and platform edges have been installed. 

The Pukekohe Station rebuild has been progressing well and NZ Transit Buzz understands the reopening date may have been moved to mid-2024, previously the expected reopening was late 2024/early 2025.

New platform shelters are being constructed as well as new service/line rooms, Platforms 1-3 and two sidings have overhead wires in place. Platform 4 is currently wireless, and a new stabling yard is under construction but has overhead masts I was unable to see if it had overhead wires.

KiwiRail had no reported works due to occur on the Eastern line during this shutdown as most work was completed during Stage 2 of the Rail Network Rebuild. 

Large sections of track along the Eastern line have been completely replaced with drainage upgrades and track beds relaid one of those sections is between Waipuna Road, Te Horeta Road bridge and Panmure Station.

New ticket gates will greet passengers at Panmure with Auckland Transport utilising the station’s downtime during the Rail Network Rebuild to install the gates, ticketing gates have been installed inside the main ticket hall and on the platform before each staircase entrance/exit.

At Glen Innes Station it is less track work and more road work with Apirana Avenue being rebuilt with improved cycling and walking connections to the station and Glen Innes township.

Track access and a site office were set up for the Rail Network Rebuild by Apirana Reserve, a lone digger was spotted working on the tracks in this section doing some final tweaks and track tidy works. 

On the other side of the Purewa Tunnel before Meadowbank Station alongside Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai slips have been repaired and track relaid, visible from the shared path’s overbridge new signal bases have been installed and further up the line, two new crossovers were also installed during the Rail Network Rebuild.

At Ōrākei Station the Rail Network Rebuild site office is still in place when the station reopens the park and ride is also due to reopen with limited capacity until the site office is removed in late January.

At The Strand, the station has been upgraded and made more accessible with new ramps, nearby at Quay Park electrical works are underway to allow for a more isolated overhead network meaning smaller sections can be closed off for works when required.

Welcome to Waitematā (Britomart) Station, where CRL have emptied their site office from inside the temporary station structure over the rear plaza in preparation for the structure being removed, construction crews are currently stripping the fittings from each shop interior. 

Things are progressing well at the Victoria Street entrance to Te Waihorotiu Station with a lot of streetscape works taking place and the Victoria/Albert Street intersection reopened, much of the station work is underground which makes it hard to see what work CRL are up to.

Further up the road at the Wellesley Street entrance to Te Waihorotiu Station, the station superstructure has risen from the ground and is covered in scaffolding as crews work to install the outer skin of the station. 

It’s rather peaceful at Parnell as crews work further up the line from where I can see near the entrance to Parnell Tunnel to stabilise a slip, Also work has finally been completed for the new northern underpass at the station as we reported earlier this month.

The final stop is Karanga-a-Hape Station, at the Beresford Street entrance, the station superstructure has risen from a hole in the ground as has the Mercury Lane entrance to beacons in the sky, work has still been continuing underground to prepare for the station to welcome trains and passengers alike.

While this thread will continue in years to come we also want to highlight a new project of ours, Every Auckland Station.

In 2024 we will be taking a deeper dive into all of Auckland’s Stations over at @AklStations, we will look at each station's vibe, what’s nearby, look into the station's history and what’s in the station's future.