AT are holding an open day tomorrow about the new Otahuhu Bus/Train interchange they plan to implement as part of the new network for South Auckland. Detail of it are below.

A new bus-train interchange sited at the existing Otahuhu Train Station is on track to begin construction later this year with completion targeted for the middle of next year. The new interchange is expected to transform the way people travel in South Auckland.

Detailed design information for the Otahuhu Bus-Train Interchange will be on display at a community event this Saturday at the Otahuhu Town Hall between 10am and 1.30pm. This new transport facility will be a critical hub in the delivery of a new integrated public transport network in South Auckland.

There will be plenty of fun with spot prizes, giveaways, food and entertainment and an opportunity to meet the project team who will take the interchange through to completion. This is a celebration of Otahuhu and the connecting of its people and places.

Feedback from local people has been important in the design process, we want locals to come and see how the interchange design has changed since consultation began last December.

Passenger comfort, safety, ease of accessibility and convenience were areas you asked us to consider for the final design.

Key features include continuous cover along bus and rail platforms, an elevated and enclosed concourse connecting the existing rail platform with new bus platforms, multiple pedestrian access options, escalators, lifts and stairs, WiFi, CCTV, kiss and ride and bicycle parking/storage. The facility will be built to accessible standards, including provision of limited parking for disabled users.

The community also sought assurance that getting to the new interchange would be simple and efficient for those travelling from the town centre.

New on street bus stop facilities will be built on Avenue Road replacing the existing Otahuhu bus station. New, modern bus shelters will also be constructed on Mason Avenue to serve the new Otahuhu Recreation Precinct with regular and frequent bus services connecting the interchange with the new town centre bus stops.

Otahuhu interchange

The design certainly looks like it’s changed a bit from the earlier concept images (which is to be expected).

Otahuhu proposed 1

Share this

22 comments

  1. Looks good, and certainly better than version 1.

    But it isn’t clear that’s this is quite accurate for the rail platforms: ‘Key features include continuous cover along bus and rail platforms’

    And a plan would be good. Please AT we can understand more than just pretty pictures; for example is there another bus entrance/exit?.

    1. Good to see they have included provision for a third rail platform post CRL.

      Good to see there seems to be some recognition of the need to make the area more cycle and pedestrian friendly, however in my view to do this properly may require more funds than are currently allocated. I suggested it would be useful to look at the current cycle maps – Otahuhu, in comparison even with nearby suburbs looks like a black hole in terms of cycling infrastructure.

      Apparently there has been some talk of using the rail corridor for a cycleway which would be awesome.

      I also asked them yesterday if they had considered extending the concourse over Walmsley Road. Apparently they did, but due to height differences this would have significantly increased costs.

      Don’t think there is another bus entrance exit, as I wondered too if buses might bank up like they used to do in the old bus exchange in Christchurch. Good to hear they did test the design using real buses and roadcones, and made some changes as a result.

      1. I’d say throw the Otahuhu cycle map out and start again based on how we WANT Otahuhu to look and function in the future.

      1. Hmmmm? No chance to through route buses from the south with another entrance/exit, or if that is consider too disruptive to gen traffic, how about just an entrance. Would save a couple of mins for those heading to the station from Mangere? I guess that may mean more property acquisition?

        Still this looks like a good start, the trees will be a welcome addition. Crossing Walmsey is already a nightmare, presumably that will improve with the new intersection layout at Station Rd, and there is always the possibility to add a ped bridge later as use increases.

        Are there three rail platforms? And direct freight lines to the west or are they all shared?

    2. I’m not fully aware of the latest design but I think there is only one entrance/exit simply because of the small space and no option for buying more land. I don’t think there will be much change to the existing intersection, except lights for vehicles to get in/out. No idea on the rail platforms.

  2. Yes it seems that continuous cover along the rail platforms is missing.

    Wouldn’t it be great if there was a couple of floors of office space above, and some retail (convenience store, cafe) on the ground? Could be a nice little earner for Auckland Transport and it would make better use of the large site.

    1. AT website states that the rail platform upgrade is a separate stage, for later in 2015. This rendering must show only the first stage.

  3. 1. It doesn’t seem easy to gate, with the lift on the southern side of the concourse, and stairs on the north. If there were a short extension to the north at concourse level, this would be sufficient to allow for future gating, and a lift is on the northern side.
    2. Is the concourse designed to be extended to provide access to the western side of the tracks ?

    1. There is already access to the western side, I think you can just make out an overbridge extending south from the platform. That was built in the last few years.

    1. Yup, AT’s page lists “[s]ecure cycle storage” under the Design heading, though I can’t spot it in the concept image. Always remains to be seen how good the implementation will turn out, but you’d hope they would improve on past efforts.

  4. It all sounds very grand but the Otahuhu train station is a long, cold, wet & windy walk from the Otahuhu shops down at the end of Station Rd and with no car parking whatsoever. And the Otahuhu sidewalks are in the worst condition of any in the Auckland region. Feeder buses should have started running to the train station years ago. Seaside Park and along Princes St would be an obvious one and could start on Monday morning if AT pulled its finger out. You don’t need visions for that one just get off your arse.

    1. hi Barney, from what I recall the New Network delivers a 7.5 minute all-day headway between Otahuhu Station and Town Centre. Of course in peak periods headways will be even shorter. New Network in the south should be rolled out next year, based on earlier timelines. So don’t be too harsh on AT!

    2. Also remember that the integrated ticketing system that will be implemented alongside all this means that if you’re on the train, and your destination is the Otahuhu Town Centre, then you don’t pay any extra at all to make that last bus connection to the town centre.

  5. Fronting on to what appears to be a six-lane highway. OK, AT likes looking out for the motorist but this is ridiculous, worse even than the New Lynn interchange which is swamped in a sea of roads and parking. Or is it the whim of an artist more used to rendering roads than PT facilities?

    1. Standard 2 lane road with a right turn pocket. So not a Highway. It is usually clogged with dozens of trucks anyway.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *