With thanks to Manukau City Council, I have some fantastic photos of the Manukau Rail Link, a project that is coming along very nicely indeed it would seem. It seems as though the station will be open by July next year, although with a temporary station only. The full station will be finished off in 2012 when the new Manukau Institute of Technology that is being constructed right next to the station opens.
It looks pretty cool I reckon, like a mini-version of the New Lynn rail trench.
My opinion of the Manukau Rail Link has been mixed in the past, although now that I understand it will become a major interchange with most bus services south of Manukau terminating there so people can catch a faster and more efficient train ride to the CBD, I think it could end up being quite popular after all. And it is the first new railway line in Auckland for around 80 years, which is pretty cool.
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After seeing New Lynn, I am not so down on trench stations anymore – but do we know how services are to be handled? Will they terminate there? If so, who loses out? Pukekohe? Or are they only being served by new higher-frequency trains, thus meaning that both Pukekohe and Manukau will end up with lesser frequencies than the stations further north?
There will be 10 minute frequencies at peak times from Manukau to Britomart via the Eastern Line. There will also be 10 minute peak frequencies south of Manukau, via the current Southern Line. I’m not quite sure whether that means a reduction in frequencies south of Manukau – I hope not.
They are building this thing quick..!
The advantage of being able to work “off-line” I guess.
When it is going to be completed. It really decrease the traffic, one can easily reach Manukau in less time.
What are the current frequencies south of Manukau? Presumably without the Manukayuline they would be getting 5 min frequences as they would have both the Eastern and South Lines – however I am guessing instead 5 mins will be observed only on stations where the Southern and Eastern overlap?
I think with all the MIT students and if it becomes a major bus interchange it will be pretty popular, MIT will finally be a campus people living in the city will be willing to go to as well. The current campus in Otara is a nightmare to get to.
Anyone know whether there will actually be a park left once the MIT campus is built?
Taking Manurewa in the AM peak, you have trains at: 6.28, 6.40, 6.50, 7.00, 7.10, 7.22, 7.25, 7.38, 7.50, 8.00, 8.10, 8.22 and 8.30 before it reverts to 15 minute frequencies.
That’s roughly a train every 10 minutes, with some variation because of limited stops/express services. This suggests that frequencies for stations further south than Manukau aren’t likely to get worse, but they also aren’t likely to get much better until we have a CBD rail tunnel.
Between Puhinui and Westfield there will be a train every 5 minutes.
Overview http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/fusion234/map_bg.jpg
Thanks for the info – 10mins is pretty damm good and is definitely walk up and take the train without thinking type frequencies.
I seriously hope that Wiri Station Road is narrowed, bus-laned or whatever once the new motorway is completed – to ensure that the real traffic reduction benefits of the SH20 extension can be “locked in”.
I seriously doubt Wiri Station road will be changed in the slightest…..such is the way in Auckland traffic planning.
The plan rtc has linked to is a little out of date. The extention of Putney Way will be the northern boundary of the MIT site. The remainder of the park (a not insignificant chunk of land) is currently subject to a design competition. Three consultants are preparing designs that will be judged by a panel. The key idea being to create a more urban park that connects with the adjacent land uses. I’m sure the final submissions (or at least the winning one) will be made public in the coming weeks.
Don’t be too sure about the future of Wiri Station Road (actually, it’ll be called Manukau Station Road once the motoway opens), I’m pretty sure it won’t be staying in its current form 🙂
Kit – I hope it doesn’t stay as it is as its pretty damn diabolicle now – certainly not somewhere where you’d catch me walking or riding a bike along.
Still, good work to everyone who has had a hand in the project, it seems to be moving on well.
“The key idea being to create a more urban park that connects with the adjacent land uses.”
Strange, that park looked alright to me when I was last in it, about a year ago. Lots of mature trees, nice undulating hills, some water features. All fine. Improving connections would be more important in my eyes than redesigning the park itself.
Hey Guys,
Awesome work with the integration of the bus and train!
However if your designing a park, and your trying to improve public transport please can we have a manukau city bike users forum? Without input from those that are going to use the facilities its a doomed waste of money.
I have been personally working on getting trails built in this lovely city for 17yrs, been pivitol in the Totara Park Mountain Bike park and there really is no co-hiseive group looking to design safe workable solutions to encompass all the needs of public transport in its widest sense, that i have evidently found in this time. Putting a yellow line on roads noone would surive riding along and calling this a “ridng route” has to stop, spending millions on land scaping parks with flat concrete “riding paths” also has to stop, as is advertising in our sections of the Te Araroa Trusts long walkway is also not really on, as a tramper or a rider!
If we want to get people up off there arses and getting fit, and walking and riding to the train/bus stops then we must make this easy and design it to be fun and usable for all.
I would happily volunteer any track building / MTB/ riding experience, please lets get a team together to spend our ratepayers money once. Not have some design output for another “ode to the emperor” type public works that is just superfluous to a city with real transport issues, just look at the issues trying to ride from manukau to the airport alone! dont start me……
Regards
Rhys
Rhysjenkinsdavies@gmail.com
Having a legible and safe walkway between the station, the council building, Westfield Mall and Rainbows End also is a necessity. Maybe widening the Putney Way pavements by removing carparking (!!!) would be the best way to do this.
The council draft plan for Manukau City Centre did include (from memory) a Boulevard from the station leading to RainbowsEnd.
Having had a bit of a nosey at some of the transport plans for Manukau City I feel a bit more comforted that the real benefits of the SH20 project will be “locked in” through reducing roadway space to give a little bit of stick to go with the carrot of the new motorway and its interchanges.
But in the SH20 work is there any provision for rail to cross the vast new motorway to get to the airport from Puhinui/Manukau that anyone knows of? If not what an extraordinary thing. So much more expensive to retro fit a way through…. could make you think that the selfless public servants at NZTA really want to make non-road transit as hard as possible to achieve- surely not?!