This is just a quick reminder that there’s heaps of transport works on this Easter Weekend that could impact your travel
For PT
Bus
- On Good Friday and Easter Monday, buses will run to public holiday (Sunday) timetables.
- There will be no Good Friday NiteRider services. (NiteRider will run as normal on Saturday night/Sunday morning).
- Airbus Express and the Airporter 380 service will operate to a public holiday (Saturday/Sunday) timetable Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Train
- All services will be replaced by rail bus replacement services (including on Good Friday) to allow for important improvements and maintanence work on the rail network.
- View the rail bus replacement timetables for the Easter weekend below:
Ferry
- On Good Friday and Easter Monday ferries will be running to public holiday (Sunday) timetables.
- There will be no services for West Harbour, Pine Harbour, Gulf Harbour, Hobsonville and Beach Haven.
For Roads
Easter 2015 coincides with the start of the school holidays and the NZ Transport Agency is warning motorists to plan ahead with traffic expected to be heavy on Auckland and Northland’s highways and roads.
“We expect the highways and roads throughout the region will be much busier than usual as people take one of the last opportunities to enjoy a long break away before winter,” says the Transport Agency’s Auckland and Northland Highway Manager Brett Gliddon.
“Everyone needs to think about their Easter journey and take extra care on our roads. If everyone takes time to plan their journey, it will help ease any stress and reduce the need to hurry, making for a safer and more enjoyable journey for everyone.”
In the Auckland region there were 32 injury crashes last Easter, resulting in two deaths, six serious injuries and 28 minor injuries. This was the highest Easter crash rate in the region in the last three years.
“We urge everyone to make their journey part of their long weekend away, taking time to stop for coffee or visit attractions if traffic is heavy to avoid frustrations and most importantly, to be patient and courteous.”
Traffic is expected to be heavy from 3.30pm on Thursday 2 April and particularly on the Northern Gateway Toll Road (SH1), north of Auckland. Last year, there were 18,500 toll road trips on the Thursday immediately before the start of Easter – 4000 more than normal on a Thursday.
“We expect numbers to be similar this Easter and to remain high throughout the holiday period.”
Mr Gliddon says drivers heading north are encouraged to pre-pay their Northern Gateway toll online – www.tollroad.govt.nz – before they leave on their journey. “Not only will there be no need to stop to pay the toll, there will be no bills when you get back home either.
“To help plan your journey, the Transport Agency has produced a congestion map for both the North and South Islands. If heading north from Auckland on Thursday, SH1 at Wellsford will be busy from 3.30pm to 8.30pm and again from 8am to 4pm on Friday. If heading south, SH2 at Waihi will be busy from 2.30pm to 7.30pm on Thursday and 11am to 2pm on Good Friday.
“Traffic heading back into Auckland will be heaviest on SH1 at Wellsford on Easter Sunday from 3.30pm to 5pm and noon to 2pm on Easter Monday, while from the south on SH2 at Waihi, the heaviest traffic flows will be on Monday from 10am to 3pm.”
For more details on traffic flows on SH1 and SH2 for the Easter period and the days and times when motorists may like to consider alternative travel, visit http://www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/current-conditions/index.html
In Auckland, the quieter Easter period will be used to complete major works, on the SH1 Ellerslie widening project and Northwestern Motorway. This work will involve on-ramp and overbridge closures.
- The Ellerslie-Panmure Highway citybound on-ramp will be closed, along with the left-lane citybound between the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway to Main Highway overbridge, from 8pm to 6am each night, from Thursday 2 to Tuesday 6 April.
- The St Lukes Road overbridge will be closed to all vehicles from 8pm Thursday 2 April to 5am Tuesday 7 April. Contractors will work around the clock to safely build up the existing road levels and construct the approaches to the new, higher overbridge. Pedestrian access across the bridge, as well as the cycleway, motorway, local roads and public transport links in the area, along with local attractions such as Auckland Zoo and MOTAT will remain open throughout the weekend.
- At the Te Atatu interchange both of the citybound onramps will be closed from 10pm Thursday 2 April to 5am Tuesday 7 April. In addition, the citybound motorway at Te Atatu will be reduced to one lane during the day (5am to 10pm) and closed each night (10pm to 5am). These closures are necessary to lower the Te Atatu citybound motorway on-ramp and raise a portion of the motorway, near the bridge. Pedestrian access across the bridge, the cycleway and westbound motorway will be unaffected.
Mr Gliddon says while road works sites throughout Northland will shut down at noon on Thursday to reduce delays and make it safer for everyone, motorists will still need to be aware of major construction projects underway on the north side of the Brynderwyns and at Akerama, 30km north of Whangarei.
“There will also be temporary speed limits in place and some unsealed sections of highway on SH1, 3km north of Kawakawa and on SH10 north of Zidich Road will need motorists to take extra care.”
Check the Transport Agency’s website: www.nzta.govt.nz for the latest highway information or sign up to www.onthemove.govt.nz for up-to-date information on what is happening on the route you plan to travel; freephone 0800 4 HIGHWAYS for national and regional travel updates.
“Don’t forget, you can also follow us on twitter and facebook to get the latest updates,” he says.
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Rail is shut once again. No wonder everyone in Auckland feels it necessary to own a car.
The bus replacement should be ok provided it’s reliable and there aren’t too many riders.
Yes, they work fine.
Depends on what station you catch the train. Meadowbank is a long journey to Britomart by bus.
It’s amazing the contrast between the quality of information provided to users by Auckland Transport in respect of a total network closure over Easter and that provided by Transport for London in respect of its partial line closures. From the former, just an arrogant, general assertion ‘important improvements and maintenance work’; from the latter a detailed description of the reasons why users are being inconvenienced: ‘Trains will not run between Aldgate and Northwood/Uxbridge all Easter weekend to allow for points work at Harrow and Neasden and track replacement work at Finchley Road. Additional Piccadilly line services will run between Uxbridge and Rayners Lane.’ Believe me, people understand when a rationale is given. Not sure what it is behind AT’s attitude; maybe they don’t want to be caught out closing the whole network down when in actual fact the required works only affect one or two lines. I guess we can anticipate further inconvenience over Christmas/New Year.
This.
It may be necessary to shut down the entire network yet again, but we’d all be happier if we knew exactly *why* we were being inconvenienced.
Apparently Kiwi Rail are working on what it calls the ‘Middlemore Spur’. One can only assume this means a third track to the west of the station so freighters can bypass the AT’s passenger trains there, but still parallel with it. Now there are 10 min frequencies on both the eastern and southern lines and growing freight train numbers the Wiri-Otahuhu section of the Auckland Main trunk must be getting very busy. Quite why they would call this a ‘spur’ I’m not sure, a term that seems to more accurately describe short branches like those to Manukau or Onehunga, more arcane railway terminology perhaps.
Anyway, I certainly hope this is the case as Middlemore is the only point on the very busy Wiri-Otahuhu section of the Auckland Main trunk where the addition of a third track runs into space constrains, so were this section completed then the remaining cost to add an extra track on this part of the spine would become much less of a barrier.
I think Patrick that until it rejoins the main track its effectively a cul-de-sac rail line (i.e. has no “exit” other than the way you entered it), so its termed a spur.
Once it becomes rejoined to the main track then its no longer a spur.
Longer term the entry and exit to the third main will be further up the line in each direction so these “spurs” and associated points/crossings will just become crossing points to or from the 3rd main.
Once it rejoins the main line it becomes a ‘passing loop’. I hope that’s what they’re building.
This should have a positive impact on the speed and reliability of both passenger and freight services.
Wiri to Otahuhu is surely the most pressured section as it covers southern and eastern lines and both inland ports for freight. Sort out Middlemore and it’s no biggy to run all the way, there’s space under the bridges and even the electrification works look to have already been done, in a rare bit of forward planning…. got to be done.
“in a rare bit of forward planning…. got to be done.” Yes, all well and good but why can’t ‘they’ tell us that?
Monthly pass holders (of which I used to be one) get 4 days less use of said pass and now await the refund they are due. Yeah right.
I was at Middlemore yesterday and a longish freight train roared through. The engines were incredibly loud. People actually put their fingers in their ears.
It struck me that quieter engines would make a big difference for the freight trains. In cities and towns all over NZ homes and businesses are being built right along the rail lines…..
Indeed they are working on a third main. I believe it will be only two mains between Middlemore and Papatoetoe for now…. Turnouts being installed for what was once the Up main north of Middlmore and has sat idle for quite some time now. Eventually turnouts are to be installed around Papatoetoe for a third main from there to Wiri.
If the work is for a middle more spur, why the whole network shutdown? Southern and Eastern lines can run to Otahuhu. Onehunga line is not affected nor is the western line.
I wish they would tell us what they’ve doing. It’s not like it is a state secret.
There is also work around Ellerslie Station thanks to NZTA widening the motorway northbound there. I think there is some level crossing work being done on the Onehunga Line as well.
This is what kiwi rail says about the next closure.
http://www.kiwirail.co.nz/news/369/78/Busy-Easter-for-KiwiRail-s-Auckland-maintenance-teams/d,news.html
Work on Parnell station is beginning this weekend as well, due for completion around the end of July. I’d wager the associated track work is the reason for the shut.
Work on Parnell station? Yay!
Parnell station!?
It’s not still 1st April is it?
I thought all the track had been done there a few years back when they degraded the whole area over a summer suit down. What else do they need to be doing?
I don’t recall seeing that announcement but you may well be right. At the moment there are a number of bucket excavators working on both sides of the track at Mainline Steam so if nothing else Newmarket to Britomart is de-energised.
I remember the track work for the Parnell station was a major reason for the summer shutdown a few years ago. Stick a basic station there and get it open. I think they priced it out of the market with the grandiose design last year.
That place looks dead. It needs people like me catching the train to Parnell on saturday mornings or to end of year staff dinners (or maybe it doesn’t!)
Third main turnout works at 665.52km (between Middlemore and Westfield)
Puhinui Platform works
OHL maintenance
Otahuhu signal box work
ETCS testing
Signal 1608ABC. install search light LED signals.
Signal 1642ABC. Reposition signal onto new gantry structure, replace A and B units with search light LED signals.
Tamper/Regulator out west and OBL
Resleepering Tamaki-GI
Bridge work GI
Track work at Panmure (unspecified)
Turnout replacement Penrose
NZTA work at Ellerslie
Parnell work (frustratingly unspecified)
Level crossing work Mays Rd and Church St OBL
Another message from NZ Police is they will enforce the speed limits this easter ith a 4km/hr tolerance. My experience on the southern motorway is that the police ignore the 90km/hr limit for trailers. This means that if you are driving at 102km/hr you can expect to be tail-gated by B-trains – not a pleasant experience. It also means you can expect to be mixing with loaded cement trailers and car transporters in the fast lane – oh joy!
When can we see a Police campaign on the speed of Heavy Vehicles on the highways?
Surely this will reduce the need for car drivers to speed?
It will also have a significant effect on saving lives. I have a strong feeling that truck drivers kill more New Zealanders than foreign tourists. (anyone got the facts?). When was the last time you heard about a motorist taking the keys away from a truck driver who was driving stupidly?
“When can we see a Police campaign on the speed of Heavy Vehicles on the highways?”
When the government stops its love affair with all things trucking. When we elect a different govt, in other words.
Lovely weather for the elves at work on our transport systems, here’s to them and their labours… (Scoffs hot x bun)
Wellington’s pretty much being shut down as well. The only services running are Masterton to Upper Hutt.
“Contractors will work around the clock to safely build up the existing road levels and construct the approaches to the new, higher overbridge.” – what are the implications for the St Lukes #Pohutukawa6?
There are ‘trimming’ the northern most tree. This is essentially the compromise worked out at the AT board meeting. The raising etc is work covered by an earlier NZTA consent that was not with in AT’s power to withdraw. They did send Jolisa and I an email about this work, which is good. Assuming of course that no one gets over enthusiastic with the chainsaws…?
While on my run out past Resolution Point on Easter Sunday I noticed that I was being passed by a train! A freight train in this instance but a train nevertheless. So how come freight can still be moved by train and people can’t?
No doubt we’ll be told that it is “too difficult” – or to put it another way – “can’t be bothered.”
Have also seen the Wellington scenic train crossing Hobson Bay so presumably they open the line for the occasional train.
Presumably it was the electricity they unplugged, those stinky old diesels able to rumble through.