Weekly Roundup 6-November-2026

Kia ora and welcome to our regular roundup of stories that caught our eye this week.

Remember that polls close in the general election at 7pm on Saturday 7 November, and you can find polling places across the city this week here.

Today’s header image: a peaceable kingdom of friendly space-sharing on Queen Street. Image credit: Our Auckland.

This Week in Greater Auckland

• On Tuesday Matt took a deep dive into Northern Busway trends by station, following up his similar recent review of rail network data ahead of last month’s CRL opening.
• On Wednesday we took our lead from a weekend of celebrations to explore ways to make our streets work for parties, for play and for people.
• And yesterday we shared our final pre-election policy roundup including a handy scorecard on where the parties stack up on key Auckland issues.

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Auckland’s biggest day for rail patronage, so far

Sporting metaphors were the winner on the day in this week’s announcement from Auckland Transport hailing last Friday as a new record for the city’s rail network:

It was an innings to remember for Auckland Transport on Friday (October 30) with a new all-time daily rail patronage record set with 108,447 trips taken by train.

The milestone capped off the busiest October on record for rail in Auckland. More than 2.1 million trips were taken across the month as Aucklanders embraced the benefits of the City Rail Link and a packed calendar of major events.

Friday’s record-breaking day was driven by cricket fans heading to Eden Park to watch the Black Caps take on India, alongside strong demand across the wider network.

The announcement notes that more than half of match attendees chose to travel by rail, with a modest post-game average wait time of 25 minutes – clearly a nod to experiences at Kingsland just after the CRL opened. Matt previously dug into those problems, the surrounding politics and some possible solutions here.

Interestingly all of the top six busiest days on record are also on Fridays and are tied to events with the second busiest also a cricket match against India

It could be a big sporting Saturday on the rail network too – with AT and Auckland FC going all-out to promote free travel for fans ahead of the Auckland FC versus Wellington Phoenix game tomorrow evening.

Auckland FC’s Cam Howieson alongside “The Auckland Express”, an EMU in promotional livery unveiled by AT this week. Image credit: Auckland FC

Looking at the month as a whole, October’s provisional patronage number of 2.129 million passengers is up a whopping 67.5 percent on October last year and 13.3 percent higher than the previous best October – in 2019. It’s also only a percent below the all-time monthly record set in March 2017 of 2.15 million. We’ll probably smash that this March.

We might soon be able to prune any remaining “since Covid” asterisks from Auckland’s rail growth story.

It’s striking to recall that 5 million trips a year was a milestone worth celebrating back in 2006 – which was already a doubling on patronage levels seen before Waitematā (then Britomart) station opened in 2003.

One thing that will definitely help in encouraging more use is yesterday Auckland Transport announced the first service improvements since opening the CRL will come on 22 November.

Nights out in Auckland will get a City Rail Link boost, with trains soon to run every 15 minutes until 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights.

The changes coming on November 22 are part of the first upgrades to Auckland Transport’s City Rail Link-enabled train timetable. They also include more peak-time services between Kingsland and Henderson, giving west Aucklanders more choice during the busiest parts of the day.

“As Auckland heads into a busy summer, it will soon be easier for people to use more frequent evening rail services to go to restaurants, bars, gigs and events,” says Auckland Transport Chief Executive Officer Stacey van der Putten.

“Running trains every 15 minutes until later in the evening gives more people flexibility to make public transport part of their plans for enjoying everything happening in Auckland as we head towards the festive season.

“We are seeing more people choose public transport for everything from commuting to nights out, these changes are about keeping pace with demand and responding to that.”

When the City Rail Link opened two months ago, train frequencies increased from 20 minutes to every 15 minutes throughout the day. From 22 November that increased frequency will be extended three hours to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, providing an extra 48 services a week.

Auckland Transport is also making improvements to peak services on the East West line.

From Sunday 22 November, East West line services running between Sylvia Park and Kingsland will be extended all the way to Henderson, improving the peak frequency and train intervals between Morningside and Henderson Stations.

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That means there will now be eight trains an hour, with services arriving every seven to eight minutes. The change will extend 110 services each week to stations between Morningside and Henderson

After 11pm services will drop back to half-hourly until the last trains. AT also say the new timetable will be viewable in their journey planner from Sunday. They also say:

Further changes to the timetable are expected early next year, with peak frequency increases set for the South City line between the City and Ōtāhuhu.

Better scooting, everyone

New road transport rules on space sharing came into effect last month – with Auckland Council specifically reminding scooter riders almost verbatim that with e-power comes great responsibility.

“The introduction of e-scooters into cycle lanes will be welcomed by many Aucklanders, but it also means everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings and show a bit of courtesy,” says Veronica Lee-Thompson, the council’s special operations manager, Licensing and Environmental Health.

“Whether you’re driving, cycling, scooting or walking, taking a little extra care, slowing down and looking out for one another can make a real difference.”

[…] Other changes include:

• children aged up to 12 will be allowed to ride bicycles on the footpath, with parents or caregivers able to ride alongside them
• drivers must leave at least 1.5 metres berth when overtaking other road users
• riders must give way to buses re-entering traffic from bus stops on roads with speed limits of 60km/h or less.

With more people using different ways to get around Auckland, the message from the council is simple: know the rules, keep your eyes open and give each other a bit of space.

Rebuilding passenger rail in the South Island

Further down the motu, the Government has approved partial funding for a trial to return commuter rail services to Ōtautahi Christchurch:

The Government has announced it will provide funding for a commuter rail trial in Christchurch, while also establishing the Mainlander train between Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill as a regular service.

The 12-month commuter train trial, to be run by Mainland Rail, would have services running morning and evening between Rangiora, Rolleston and central Christchurch, starting in mid-2027.

The $3.4 million project would also introduce regular services between Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, Gore and Invercargill.

Half of the money would come from the government’s Regional Development Fund, with the remaining $1.7 million to be funded by local councils, who still need to sign off on the project.

The funding comes with Government expectations that fares for Christchurch rail will be comparable to the likes of Te Huia. Mainland Rail would need to build a business case and get councils on board, and as reported by The Press (paywalled), they won’t go to the public with plans until likely fares are known.

Save Our Trains Southern has called out the relative shortness of the 12-month proof-of-concept timeframe, compared to the five-year runway Te Huia was given. Might we see other political parties up the ante, and commit to giving rail a proper chance to shine on the mainland?

Mainland Rail’s ex-Capital Connection carriages. The planned Christchurch trial will start off with refurbished SA/SD units courtesy of Auckland’s own rail transformation. Image credit: Mainland Rail

Down on the corner, out in the street

Social Life Project takes a look at how inviting, well-designed corners can literally and emotionally bridge the gap between streets and public spaces, through the transformation of the Bryant Park entranceway in NYC.

The colorful outdoor seating, cozy eateries, beautiful plantings, and wide inviting stairway at Bryant Park’s northwest corner draw people into the park. More than just offering a place to stop before crossing the street, this corner acts like a kind of miniature plaza, complete with focal points, landscaping, eateries, and access points to other parts of the city via its public transit stops. It is a fantastic example of how to create an engaging corner rather than one which drives people away.

Corners are the places where pedestrians’ paths change direction, where people pause and reflect on their surroundings, where routes intersect and serendipitous encounters happen. As such, corners have the potential to be standout public places, just like squares, and the best cities design them with this in mind.

Bryant Park’s entranceway: a portal that’s also a destination, where urban life can happen. Could this be your street corner, town centre or local shops? Image credit: Social Life Project

Transit on the ballot in the US midterms

Sweeping wins for the Democratic Party in the US midterm elections have also brought good news for public transit initiatives put to voters at state levels:

Voters across the U.S. overwhelmingly chose to support transit in 2026’s general election, with questions on ballots in 11 states. While all results are still unofficial, transit ballot measures in Seattle, Pierce County, Wash., Riverside, Calif., San Bernardino County, Calif., the Bay Area and Charleston, S.C., have passed, bringing in more funding for public transportation—and in some cases, keeping agencies from fiscal cliffs.

Transit has performed well on the ballot in 2026. In primary and special elections prior to the general, transit ballot measures had an 89% pass rate.

How’s the charge on your Lime?

From the “don’t try this at home” files, an exercise in Halloween silliness with medieval jousting on Lime bikes in London, co-instigated by an expat Kiwi artist. Many are the public bike stunts that make it onto social media, and Lime rightly calls for safety first – but we’ll give this a one-off pass for pageantry:

Buses with handlebars

A touch of whimsy for a good cause, with buses getting a mo-glow-up for the Movember men’s health awareness campaign. Seen one on your local route yet? From Kinetic:

As part of Movember’s ‘Mo’s About Town’ activation, 3,500 buses across Australia and New Zealand will sporting their own larger-than-life mos.

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Kinetic Group CEO Michael Sewards said the initiative was about making the most of Kinetic’s everyday presence in communities to start important conversations about men’s health.

“If this campaign encourages more people to ask a mate, colleague or family member how they’re really going, that’s a great outcome.”

A bristle of moustaches at the depot: Kinetic whiskers up for Movember.

Weekend fun

Election and football aside, a couple of options to fill out your weekend:

• Iron Maiden and Megadeth play at Spark Arena this Saturday night. A quick walk from Waitematā station. No themed trains on offer to our knowledge!
• And for a change of pace from whatever had you cheering, headbanging or head-shaking on Saturday night, free all-ages relaxed Sunday vibes at the Parnell Festival of Roses, courtesy of the Waitematā Local Board.

Visit Auckland has their own social media rundown on this weekend and other November happenings below (warning, contains sleigh bells jingling):

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A post shared by Auckland, New Zealand (@visitauckland)

Oh, and speaking of Christmas: our trans-Tasman mates at Peak Transit now have CRL-themed tree ornaments.

And if you’re thinking ahead, maybe someone in your life needs some Greater Auckland merch? A way to wear your heart on your sleeve and support the kaupapa. (Allow a week for delivery; print-on-demand means no returns, so double-check sizing before ordering!)

That’s it for us this week – have a great weekend, get out and vote, and see you next week!

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