On my home tonight I noticed these new signs around the posts at Britomart, can you spot the new addition? I do like the use of the pillars to display these maps and combined with the recent improvements to how destinations are shown it should hopefully make things much easier for people unfamiliar with the system.

(sorry for the quality, it was taken with my phone while on the way to my train).

 

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23 comments

  1. It’s funny how they stood out to me tonight as well. Like the look. Wonder why west vs the rest is the separation?

    1. I did notice one poster that had both on it but they still showed the lines separately i.e. just shrunken versions of the images above put on one sheet

  2. Firstly, the addition of Manukau is obviously the change. Just over two weeks until that station opens now!

    Secondly, the maps are pretty flash, but they seems to highlight the one-dimensional thinking about our rail system that it’s all about feeding people into Britomart (maybe that’s just highlighted so much because the maps are at Britomart station, but the point generally holds I think), rather than providing a proper network, which allows easy trips from anywhere to anywhere.

    Ironically, the City Rail Link enables the creation of this proper, multi-dimensional rail network – but its cost-benefit analyses generally focus exclusively on providing capacity to the city centre. And then we wonder why public support for the project is delcining because people think it’s all about trains running around in circles underneath the CBD.

    1. Who says support for the CRL is declining, in the final version of the Auckland plan (post on that soon) the council says:
      “Eighty per cent of submitters on the Draft Auckland Plan who referred to the CRL supported its construction”

      If there is a decline in support it is probably because the council hasn’t really said anything at all and they let the government set the tone of the conversation.

    2. Ah yes fair point Matt. I suppose a better way to phrase that would be to say that there remains a number of people who voice opposition to the CRL because they misunderstand what it’s about. But generally they’re not being “put right” through a better discussion about how the project benefits most Aucklanders – especially those with access to any part of the rail network.

      As you say, central government is allowed to set the tone of the conversation about the project too much. Whenever council talks about it, it’s in very broad and generalised terms (contributing to the transformation of Auckland, blah blah blah) whereas when the government talks about it, they’re using hard numbers (it doesn’t take many cars off the road, it’s so expensive, blah blah blah).

      The project does still have widespread support, but that support is likely to be tested again and again as it becomes more obvious what the tough choices are in order to fund it.

  3. Two things strike me:

    1. Network?!? you call that a transport network?

    2. Does the yellow colour of the Manukau link mean that its only serviced by the South and Eastern line trains (the ones that go via GI?)
    i.e. there is not a separate “Manukau” service like Onehunga has which is why Onehunga is its own distinct colour?
    And if so, does that mean it doesn’t go via Newmarket?

    A follow up question – why are there flat ovals at Britomart, Newmarket, Penrose, Otahuhu, Puhinui and nowhere else?
    Do these imply a transfer to/from buses is possible there (but by implication nowhere else?)
    Or that the services can terminate there (like the flat oval at Britomart means)?

  4. hope they fix up Otahuhu and Puhinui a bit someday. Not really worthy of the transfer name at the moment.
    Are among the lower quality stations on the network.

  5. @Greg N: Manukau trains will also run via Newmarket, so the network map gives a false impression in that regard. Manukau should be red and yellow side-by-side like Papakura.

    Good to see Penrose is finally shown as a transfer station, as is Puhinui.

    1. If Geoff is right then this is a very poor attempt at visual communication- it’s plain misleading. This isn’t hard to get right especially on such a tiny network. As Geoff says, Manukau should be twotone.

    2. 2 Northbound Trains a day will travel via Newmarket only on weekdays – these replace existing Otahuhu short runners via Newmarket. One in the morning and one in the afternoon (4120 and 4162 off memory).

      1. The timetable leaflet has the new network map as well, showing the Manukau Branch in yellow (Eastern line) but Manukau station itself as red (Southern line). Really, they should either show Manukau as two colours, or give it its own colour, say light green, from Britomart both ways, to Manukau.

  6. This map got me thinking, instead of having very poor frequencies to Manukau, why do we not divert all eastern line services to terminate at Manukau, while southern line services continue to Pukekohe?

    1. Look at the timetable as it stands.
      The eastern line runs more frequently during the day south of Westfield (something like 2 eastern to one southern), so that would mean you would get 1 train a hour going to one of the more busier stations (Papakura) during the day.

  7. Would this work with the capcity constraints at Britomart?
    basically running the 4 lines on a 10 minute frequency and all eastern trains terminate at Manuaku.

    Western Line – 6 trains per hour per direction.
    Southern Line – 6 trains per hour per direction.
    Onehunga Line – 6 trains per hour per direction.
    Manukau Line via Sylvia park – 6 trains per hour per direction.

    1. Britomart’s capacity is 20 tph. So your proposal would only work if you capped Onehunga at 2 tph. Which is all it can handle anyway as it’s single track.

      1. sounds OK, surely 10 minute frequency south of Manukau is sufficient.
        Why not run all the Manukau trains via the eastern line?

  8. Looks awesome. Reminds me a lot of similar maps at Tube stations in London.

    Those maps always started at the station you were at, showing two maps – one to each end of the line. They didn’t show the whole network (although I think they did show where stations allow transfers to other lines). These maps were where pedestrian tunnels split to go to each platform.

    One of those maps at Kingsland Platform 1, for example, would only show Kingsland, Mt Eden, Grafton, Newmarket (with short red and blue lines leading away from Newmarket denoted as Southern and Onehunga lines), and Britomart (with a short blue line denoted as being the Eastern line). At Platform 2, the map would only show Kingsland to Waitakere.

    Basically they show the network as viewed from the point of view of the station you are at, as simply as possible.

    It will be interesting to see if/how they do make these maps for other stations.

  9. Simple, but fantastic blog post. Like always.

    I’m probably wrong, but I assume one train per hour will travel from Britomart (via GI) to Manukau. All those coming from the Newmarket Line can transfer onto this train when it stops at Puhinui. The train then goes back up (via GI) to Britomart.

    Wouldn’t it be easier though, to have one of the old trains (with maybe two carriages) shuttling back and forth between the two stations at 15 minute intervals?

  10. What’s the problem with showing it as one integrated network on one map and even including the Northern Busway? Far bigger networks that ours manage it pretty easily.

  11. And that is the catch

    They have marked Newmarket as a stage fare for the western line when it is not

    If we were going to go anal over it I (or rather instructing staff) should be charging you 7 stages to Waitakere but it is currently and still is 6 stages

    As for the Manukau Line – yeah that was an interesting choice of colour but from what I have heard – more passengers have cottoned on to the Western Line Newmarket fare stage than Manukau being part of the Eastern Line

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