While out on my trip to Manukau yesterday I stopped off at Ellerslie to see how things were going with the station upgrade. A brief history for those that haven’t followed what is happening, The NZTA are paying for the station upgrade as they have narrowed the platform by 2m which is enough to allow them to build an extra northbound motorway lane. I last visited in Feb and while it is still a construction zone, things look really close to being finished.

I do like the covered bridge and stairs and wish we could get that at other stations. It would also be nice if it could be extended along the platform so that there isn’t gaps in the shelter. The image below gives a great example of how much room has now been created by moving the platform to allow the extra motorway lane. As I have said before, I really do hope that we can get a nice noise barrier installed. I used to use the station daily and never thought about it but in the last two times I have visited I have really noticed just how loud things are with traffic passing by. It makes listening to things like music while waiting for the train much harder and a less pleasant experience.

The lifts look really nice and stand out well

And here is the entrance from Kalmia St including the other lift

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7 comments

  1. The station is looking better but it was planned to be finished by March, I guess the weather has slowed progress
    on the site as it has done on other outdoor projects.

  2. Also the new southern foot bridge at Otahuhu station has made a huge improvement there. The old wrought iron shelters have gone and the platform is sealed. Smaller improvements like these make a big improvement at stations.

  3. I dunno. I see this as more mitigation than upgrades, the bridge and ramp (with much lower maintenance costs than two lifts) to the station were covered before any of this started.

  4. I think the council should have required that a sound barrier – clear plastic ones like in St Mary’s Bay – be installed as part of the consent. I don’t really see NZTA bother to do it otherwise, they’ve been more than happy to leave people with a small mesh fence separating their backyard from the motorway, they’re not really going to care any more about PT users.

    I tend to ahree with Andrew that this ‘upgrade’ has +ves and -ves, it comes on the heels of a previous council upgrade meaning all that money was effectively wasted, and replacing the ramps with lifts will just result in increased operating costs for AT. If they took the ramp away they could have at least put a rail for wheeling bikes up, not all of us enjoy or appreciate being forced to take elevators or having to carry a bike up stairs.

    1. not all of us enjoy or appreciate being forced to take elevators or having to carry a bike up stairs.

      So go around to the Village side and use the ramp. If it’s such a big deal to you, the extra minute of riding time will be time well-spent.
      The steepness of those stairs (Ellerslie station is my local) would not incline me, as a cyclist, to want to push a bike up any form of ramp from the Kalmia St side. I would carry my bike, but the angle would have me working very hard to maintain control and I’d be worried about losing my grip and having the bike roll backwards.

    2. they’ve been more than happy to leave people with a small mesh fence separating their backyard from the motorway, they’re not really going to care any more about PT users.

      The “old” NZTA would do that, the “new” one has put in motorway sound barriers along the widened Motorway from St Marks Road to Greenlane off ramps.
      Particularly along the southern side of Mt Hobson,which had no such barriers before.

      So can’t see why they shouldn’t, and in any case, wouldn’t the noise level rules in the old ACC district plan (and/or OSH rules) require it for any redevelopment of the train station as has been done here.

    3. Lifts are essential for people who do not have the option of walking up stairs, even though there are ongoing costs. Ramps are not a viable alternative – and Glen Eden station was the perfect example.

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