The City Rail Link revisions impacting Auckland’s passenger network

Rail patronage in Auckland has exploded by 62 percent since the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL), and with recent changes to the network, further increases are anticipated.

Stacey van der Putten, CEO of Auckland Transport, says the project – which brings thoroughfare to the formerly dead-end Waitematā Station - has turned a corner in its delivery with the set-up now looking “completely different” to how it did one month ago.

The revisions, which include construction upgrades and new train services, have created ripple effects on the broader passenger network and are expected to spur significant volumes of public transport patronage.

“We have gone from four lines to three, and they now operate differently,” Stacey said ahead of the New Zealand Rail Conference. “Instead of there being an Eastern Line and a Western Line, these two lines are now connected as one, enabling a huge range of different trips without people needing to transfer.”

Building on existing connectivity improvements

Enhanced connectivity was already a hallmark feature of CRL, with the demolition of Waitematā's terminating point offering, for the first time, continuous east-west flow.

Formerly hosting multiple, segregated train lines, the network now cuts travel time, by enabling a one-seat journey from Manukau in south Auckland to Swanson in the west.

The rise in patronage was an anticipated outcome of these connectivity improvements. However, the degree to which Aucklanders have taken to the new services has outshone projections.

In the week before the CRL opened, around 325,203 train boardings were recorded in Auckland, while car commuters plugged up roads, spending on average 66 hours per year in traffic.

Now, the city’s rail network is recording its busiest ever period, with 528,007 weekly train boardings in the week after CRL’s opening. These figures beat the network’s former seven-day record of 504,380 from March 2019.

Travel behaviour has also changed, with more off-peak demand.

“We have seen travel behaviour change within the first month or two and are excited by what this means for the broader city and land use going forward,” Stacey said.

“A lot of people are giving up their cars to use train services because it's far more efficient in terms of journey time during peak travel time.

“The figures so far have surpassed our expectations – but we think they are just the beginning.”

While some of this uplift could be attributed to the country’s fuel affordability crisis, the immediate spike in train boardings following CRL’s opening point to connectivity as a major driving force.

Stacey says this paints a rosy picture for Auckland’s public transport future, and the city’s prosperity overall.

“It's helped to revive - in a very short period - people's motivation for coming into Auckland’s city centre. We know that, too, from the increased foot traffic we are now seeing in these corridors.

“I think it was addressing an unmet need in terms of how people get around. After prolonged disruption to the network, Aucklander’s now seem to have much more confidence in using it.”

Bus network changes

Uptake of Auckland’s broader public transport system is also increasing, with complementary changes to the bus network, following the opening of Drury and Paerātā stations.

Built by KiwiRail, these stations – which bring new connections for south Auckland and Franklin on the rapid transit map - have justified substantial bus timetable changes.

“We introduced new services to connect locals to the new train stations, to make journeys easier for customers,” Stacey said.

The new CRL lines have also prompted timetable changes to over sixty bus routes to better connect buses and trains.

“It has really been a whole of network transformation,” Stacey added.

Further insight

Sharing more on what this transformation looks like in practice, Stacey van der Putten will address the upcoming New Zealand Rail Conference, held 2-3 December at the Grand Millenium Auckland.

The theme of this year’s event is: Shaping the Future of Rail in Aotearoa - Te Kitenga. Mahi Tahi. Auaha. (Vision. Collaboration. Innovation.)

Insights will also be heard from Peter Reidy, CEO of KiwiRail; Pelin Faltham, Head of Rail Safety Regulation, and Mike Hargreaves, Group General Manager and Director of Land Transport, both from the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Learn more and register your tickets here.