Perhaps this post is aimed at laying down a challenge to our future transport planners. It’s clear that rail needs to play a significant part in Auckland’s transportation future, with peak oil either just around the corner or having already happened, ongoing population growth that will lead to further traffic congestiong and (hopefully) growing concern about the effects of an automobile dependent city on climate change. Last year saw an 8% increase in the number of people using public transport – with more than a million additional rail trips being made in 2008 compared with 2007.
Some good steps have been made to bring Auckland’s rail system into the 20th century in the last few years, and in the next few years we should see some further steps that might at least partially bring it into the 21st century – with electrification being a critical step in the future of our rail network. However, it’s crucial that we do not rest on what improvements have been made, but rather strive to do better. Auckland’s rail system remains incredibly poor by international standards, the city in general remains incredibly car dependent while those who do catch trains (or buses for that matter) generally have to put up with poor conditions, frequently cancelled services and (believe it or not) over-crowding due to poor frequencies.
I have put together a map of what the rail network should look like in about 2030. That gives us 20 years to do these projects. Beyond 2030 there are probably further lines that could be built (such as an Albany to Henderson line or an extension of the North Shore Line to Wellsford). However, if we can have this system by 2030 (with enough tracks and trains to operate it effectively, I do think Auckland will be well on the way to having at least a half-decent rail system – if not something truly world class.
For a start, let’s look at a diagram of the current system:
OK, pretty pathetic. Right moving on here’s what I suggest for our system in 2030:
There are still three lines, although effectively there are actually six different lines, I’ve just coupled them all together to make it possible for routes to travel across the city rather than just into Britomart and out of it again. Obviously, a number of projects are necessary to make this a reality – beyond ones already underway such as the Onehunga Branch and the Manukau Link. By my reckoning there are four really big rail projects that would be necessary to undertake in order for this to be a reality.
- The CBD loop. Clearly nothing can happen in terms of adding new lines until we fix up the capacity issues faced by Britomart. As I have three lines approaching Britomart from the east it would probably be necessary to duplicate the existing access tunnel as well as building the CBD loop. Midtown and K Road are two new underground stations that would be built.
- Airport link. I would do this project second as it’s pretty embarrassing Auckland doesn’t have a rail link to the airport. The air bus is pretty popular, but can get stuck in traffic and in any case is not the same as having a proper rail link. New stations at Mangere and Mangere Bridge would significantly improve the access to the city from these two suburbs.
- North Shore Line. This would require a rail tunnel under the harbour, and conversion of the existing busway into a railway line. Initially I would have the rail line terminate at Albany, but there is potential for it to eventually continue to Orewa. This would provide a much better public transport link to those in Silverdale, Orewa and on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
- East Tamaki Line. This would potentially be the most difficult, as it’s a very long line that has never really been planned for. Supposedly Te Irirangi Drive was built so that future light-rail could go down the middle of it, but I think heavy rail is the ultimate answer. Perhaps some serious tunnelling would be required, but I think in the long run this line is worth it. The communities it would serve are among Auckland’s most car dependent and have to put up with probably the worst public transport provision in the city.
Now I just have to find $10 billion to fund this all.
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Hey great plan,
What about an upper harbour loop that links the western line to albany, and maybe a hillsborough line that goes from maybe new lynn around hillsboroughand down to onehunga. Then most of auckland would be covered.
JD
We’ve thought about that and it is probably better served by a busway…
The Hillsborough line is a possibility, given the rail reserve between Onehunga and Avondale.
Upper Harbour would be great one day but it’s certainly not a priority for 2030!
that map is exactly how i thought about the auckland trains future growth. de ja vu. but i agree about the hillsborough line. mt roskill and three kings could really benifit with a line between onehunga and new lynn perhaps..
Yeah? Fantastic.
My 11 year old son could create this with a piece of paper and a packet of crayons.
It’s about the money stupid. That small thing plus the fact that the Northern busway cannot be re-configured to use for rail thereby necessitating the use of underground tunneling.(Or resuming vast tracts of residential housing above ground @North Shore prices) So that’s about $10 bill for the Shore alone, then of course there’s the whole through Britomart thing- perhaps $2-3 bill if we’re lucky.It’s never going to fly. Back to the drawing board old son…..
Stop being negative, it’s a reality now so IN YA FACE IDIOTTTT
Err Mike: There is no reason that the busway cannot be adapted for rail, it is way over the 12m width needed and while it will require some work on gradients and some clever phasing to do this with minimum disruption it is all doable. And this very kind of repurposing has happened already overseas. Existing bus stations become transfer stations, like in Perth, affordable, efficient, fast, and running on electricity. What’s not to like?
And it will ‘fly’. Lots of doomers said no one would use Britomart, or the Northern Busway, or catch a train to Eden Park… I could go on…
Oh and there is money, it’s just that it is currently earmarked for failing motorways.
Perhaps we would be better off talking to your 11 year old? Sounds like the future is in good hands.
Am I correct in assuming that all trains using the Waitakere Line and those from the south travelling via New Market all use a single track tunnel near the Auckland Museum in order to get to the Britomart terminus. If this is the case then the so called Eden Park failure of the trains for the opening of the RWC was an outstanding performance from an antique network starved for so long of sensible transport planning and public money.
There are two tracks in the Parnell tunnel.
Instead of having colours and be as complex as London and Sydney, how about looking at the Melbourne train maps that is devided into two zones. Zone 1 which is the CBD city loop/circle tunnel and city surroundings and Zone 2 which is outside the city.
http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/maps-stations-stops/metropolitan-maps/metropolitan-train-network-map/
In Melbourne, Metcards (transport tickets) and Myki cards (Touch on and touch off) can be used on both busses and trains. IE – you can purchase a Metcard at a train station, take a morning train and take an afternoon bus.
If only Auckland is like Melbourne but the problem is, where is the money to build it?
So, the plan is to extend the network – except you haven’t. Pukekohe is now relegated to a Hamilton connection. I believe that the idea behind the Super City was integration, there is no point in Franklin residents paying Auckland city rates if we have no public transport. In fact, there is a rail line all the way to Waiuku, why not go all the way out there?
Very good Only a few tweets
1.Line from Onehunga to Blockhouse Bay to New Lynn
2.Line from either Henderson via Westgate, Massey to Albany
or take Western Line to Helensville then from there to Albany/Orewa via Coatesville
Sorry the 3rd Tweet should be
from Sylvia Park to Pakaranga to Botany ( its takes ages to travel – three stages from SP to Botany, which is ridiculous as its only a motorway bridge away to Pakaranga via the SE Highway, the line could go via the motorway bridge and Panmure could still connect to Pakaranga and Botany via Sylvia Park in about the same time, you also save a bit on climbing down to cross Tamaki River to Pakaranga by using the SE Bridge)
Fantastic plan great map let it happen. How about line from Ranui to Westgate via Massey college with an extn to Whenuapai airfield for budget tours.Make a massive park and ride at westgate.
i live in Auckland
Very ambitious plan, how about taking it one step at a time then some of it may be done.
Lets look at the current Southern and Eastern lines. Trains are more efficient if run in circles instead of end to end services.
The above two lines join at a point just North of Otahuhu so why not join the two so that there is a two-way loop with Britomart as the terminal. On this loop trains would run at 15minute intervals in both directions. There would be no need for timetables etc. During non peak periods the train could be a single two-car set with additional car sets added at peak times. The trains would still start and stop at Britomart.
End to end trains would operate from Penrose to Manukau and perhaps Sylvia Park to Pukekohe, better still a new station on the join to Pukekohe. Any new station should have multi storey car parking facilities to allow park and ride.
At the join the Main Auckland Wellington line would still be accessible.
On each of the current lines, at a suitable station approximately half way between Britomart and the join, there would be a bypass line so that a non-stop train such as the Northern Explorer or express trains could pass the circle train while it was at the station. This would allow peak time express trains to the Penrose and Pukekohe lines which would only stop at stations not on the circle line.
I would suggest that a continuous loop from Britomart to Britomart would also attract tourism as this loop would provide some excellent scenery around Auckland.
I do not agree with most of what you have to say. You may be well spoken however In my humble opinion this garbage should be removed.
I prepared the 2.86bn budget for the Auckland City Rail link in 2012. I agree that we should extend the existing (heavy?) narrow gauge railway from Puhinui to the Airport – This is 5 to 6km and will cost 1 to 2bn. 10% of all traffic in a city is related to the airport, so this will significantly reduce Auckland traffic. I also agree with extending the line from Onehunga but this will cost more as it needs to cross the Manukau harbour.
Hi. Why would the 50kg rail need to be extended to the airport? Is it in the plans start transporting shipping containers by air? (No). You may make a case here for light rail, however there is only one intersection of motorway between the airport and Puhunui station so why not take up another trade and maybe run a rail bus/widen the road for a bus lane to there and then hey, you are on the NIMT and you may technically go to any other major port in N.Z…..( 9 years later…… and whoever you are, if its true that you prepared the budget, I guess your name is in the public records so I will mention this to Mike so he may employ the word inept.)
this is the kind of thinking we need, well done. i actually cant see why this cant be done.. the curve ball being covid of course. the major thing here is that we must surely stop stop stop building out (beyond this network) and start making some tough calls about building up and filling in more and more. otherwise, we will never have the population density to support this system. our problem is wanting it all. we have to choose. i would choose this plan at the expense of any new roads. the key thing is travel time… the new puhinui upgrade .. this will mean a 10 min ride to puhinui from airport, then 45 mins to cbd. not exactly rapid is it. not against it because it services sth and east, but onehunga needs to be the focus
I like how in 2010 there being negative and now it’s a reality, LMAO
Yes, Very True Brandon!
With the recent announcement from the Minister of Transport Michael Wood that the Auckland light rail project is to be fully reassessed with a new working group over the next 6 months, now would be a good time to also evaluate what the future heavy rail network will look like as well.
The proposed heavy rail network in 2030 as suggested in this post from 2009 would actually be a good basis to work from as it covers all four corners of the city so to speak, but it could be improved, together with light rail concentrated in the central city and isthmus.
A good effective heavy rail network which would serve much of Auckland well could be created by building the following:
– A heavy rail only tunnel under the Waitemata Harbour and converting Northern Busway to a heavy rail line, linking with the CRL via Aotea station.
– A heavy rail line between Sylvia Park-Pakuranga-Botany-Manukau.
– A heavy rail line between Puhinui-Airport-Onehunga (and double tracking the existing Onehunga line).
– Build the long proposed Southdown-Avondale line.
– Extend the double track and electrification on the North Auckland Line from Swanson to Helensville.
With doing the above four new simple convenient one seat journeys could be created as follows:
North-South line between Silverdale and Pukekohe via Waitemata Harbour tunnel, CRL (Aotea station), Grafton, Newmarket, Penrose.
East-West line between Helensville and Auckland Airport via Mt Eden, CRL, Britomart, Orakei, Panmure, Pakuranga, Botany, Manukau, Puhinui, Airport (same trains then continue onwards north via Onehunga and Parnell as the ‘Airport line’ terminating at Britomart).
Airport line between Britomart and Auckland Airport via Parnell, Penrose, Onehunga, Mangere, Airport.
Central loop line between Britomart and Auckland Airport via Orakei, Sylvia Park, Otahuhu, Puhinui, Airport, Mangere, Onehunga, Mt Roskill, Mt Albert (and then via existing Western line to Mt Eden and CRL to Britomart).
A week day peak period DMU shuttle service should also operate between Pukekohe and Waiuku via the Mission Bush Branch line and Glenbrook Vintage Railway line.
Light rail lines using modern conventional street level trams should be built as follows:
Mt Roskill line via Customs Street, Anzac Avenue, Symonds Street, New North Road, Dominion Road, Denbeigh Ave, Stoddard Road.
Westgate line via Queen Street, Karangahape Road, Great North Road, SH16 to Westgate.
Ponsonby loop line via Fanshawe Street, Halsey Street, Victoria Street West, College Hill, Ponsonby Road, Karangahape Road, Queen Street.
The Mt Roskill and Westgate lines would operate as just one continuous line from end to end, with the Ponsonby line operating as a bidirectional loop.
Building the above heavy rail and light rail network will then provide Auckland with a decent rapid transit network which covers most of the city with service routes which are convenient and practical to use and will be more appealing to use than cars on congested roads. Not to mention also, an electrified rail network will be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, helping to reduce the city’s transport carbon emissions.
The advantage of expanding the heavy rail network is that can also be used for (new) long distance inter-regional passenger services, perhaps at a new appropriate terminal befitting of New Zealand’s largest city, at the airport. Also more freight could be carried by rail, particularly if new rail freight hubs were to be developed on the North Shore, Kumeu, East Tamaki and Drury.
Awesome plans! Much better alternative than the light rail Idea. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some trams but I really believe we should be building out our existing rail system before creating a completely new one! Also, I’m super pumped that britomart is being converted to a through station!