Weekly Roundup 11-September-2026
Kia ora, and welcome to our weekly roundup of stories about what makes cities great, including our own. Today’s header image shows our Matt Lowrie and Patrick Reynolds, with the godfather of the City Rail Link, former Mayor Len Brown, at today’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.…
12 Comments Rail ridership stats ahead of the CRL opening
The City Rail Link is being officially opened today – as in, a ribbon-cutting, with trains commencing from Sunday. So with passenger services just two days away, what better time to take a look at look at how the rail network has been performing, to help provide a bit of a benchmark for the transformation the CRL delivers.…
A vision realised: what the opening of the CRL means
Celebrate!
From Sunday 13th September 2026, an actual real Auckland Rapid Transit (ART) network will exist, for us all to use and enjoy!
You can see it – and its artful name – on the map below.
Comprised of three rail lines and five rapid bus lines, all in various stages of development, this multi-modal retro-fit of Aotearoa’s biggest city is one hell of a massive achievement.…
An appreciation of Auckland
This guest post by our esteemed planner friend Darren Davis appeared on his excellent blog Adventures in Transitland, and is reposted here by kind permission. With City Rail Link opening this Sunday (13th September), it’s timely to appreciate the sheer breadth of Auckland’s public transport transformation since the turn of the century.…
Let’s build resilience, reform government and reimagine our cities
The Post has been running a series of think-pieces on how to fix the country, and invited Greater Auckland director Matt Lowrie, among others, for an ideal “first 100 days” plan. We’re happy to share Matt’s take with our readers. Turns out you can say quite a lot in 750 words!…
How we got the CRL: Interview with Simon Bridges
To mark the opening week of the City Rail Link, here is the second interview in our ongoing series on the origins of the project. This one is with former transport minister, and former leader of the National Party, current chair of Waka Kotahi/NZTA, and CE of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Simon Bridges.…
Weekly Roundup 4-September-2026
Kia ora and welcome to our weekly roundup of stories about what makes cities great, including our own. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, we exposed how electioneering is bulldozing sensible policymaking (again)
On Tuesday, Connor exposed the true cost of the Warworth to Te Hana PPP (an outrageous nine billion)
On Wednesday, Patrick examined the gratifyingly sensible Auckland Motorway Strategic Plan
And on Thursday, we ran a guest post from Auckland Transport about level crossing options on the Western Line.…
Western rail crossings – getting ready for even more CRL benefits
This is a guest post from Auckland Transport’s Head of Level Crossings, Tom Willetts. (The header image is one of ours, showing the level crossing at Rossgrove Ave, as seen from a waiting vehicle.) Greater Auckland will be taking a closer look at the proposals in a post next week – stay tuned!…
The (really good) Auckland Motorway Strategic Plan
Waka Kotahi/NZTA has released an important new document for our region: the Auckland Motorway Strategic Plan (AMSP), which is fully endorsed by the Minister of Transport Chris Bishop and Mayor of Auckland Wayne Brown.
It’s really very good; comprehensive and reality-based.…
Warkworth to Te Hana deal to cost us over $9,000,000,000?
A few weeks ago, I asked what Warkworth to Te Hana (WW2TH) will actually cost us. A fair question, given the government’s rush to sign a Public Private Partnership (PPP) for this new four-lane expressway ahead of the election, without releasing the numbers of what it will really cost.…
Processing...