Auckland Rail Network: Work Starts On Manukau Extension
September 24th, 2009
Work on the first extension to Auckland’s rail network since the 1930s, connecting the main trunk line to Manukau city centre, has begun. Transport Minister Steven Joyce lead a sod-turning ceremony last week for the 2km mainly double-tracked link between Manukau and Puhinui. KiwiRail is spending about $50m on the link, which will include a north-facing junction with the main trunk and a 300 metre trench at its eastern end. Manukau City is contributing almost $33m for a rail and bus hub and associated earthworks. The Auckland Regional Transport Authority will cover other costs of a new railway station to be built in the trench, 7metres beneath Hayman Park and a proposed campus for up to 25,000 Manukau Institute of Technology students.
The line will be ready to serve the first stage of the new campus when it opens to an inaugural batch of 1500 full-time students at the start of the 2012 academic year. About 600,000 passengers a year are expected to use the railway station. Trains will initially run every 20 or 30 mins at peak times but this is expected to be increased to every 10 minutes once the line is electrified. KiwiRail says the line will be included in the Auckland rail electrification project, due to be completed by 2013. The line will run parallel to the new motorway link being built between State Highways 1 and 20.
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