The Southern Line in Auckland, New Zealand is the name given to suburban train services that operate between Waitematā railway station in central Auckland and Pukekohe via Newmarket.
Routing
From Waitematā to Newmarket, Southern Line services use the Newmarket Line, then follow the North Auckland Line to Westfield Junction, and thence onto the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) line as far as Pukekohe, the terminus of the Southern Line. In its entirety, this line follows the original 1875 North Island Main Trunk route between central Auckland and Pukekohe.
The line, originally single-tracked, was duplicated, piecemeal, between 1909 and 1939. In 1915, the original single-track Parnell tunnel was bypassed by a twin-track tunnel. The older tunnel can be seen alongside the current one, between Parnell station and Newmarket Junction.
History
In 1930, the Westfield Deviation opened a new eastern route for the NIMT between Auckland and Westfield via Glen Innes. The route between Auckland and Westfield via Newmarket then ceased to be part of the NIMT. The portion between Newmarket and Westfield became part of the North Auckland Line (NAL), which runs between Westfield and Whangarei.
The Southern Line suburban services continued to run on the older route. A new line, called the Eastern Line, was introduced for services on the new route. While the Eastern and Southern lines have a different route between Auckland and Westfield, they share the same tracks between Westfield and Puhinui station.
Third Main Line
A future third main line is under construction as part of the Wiri to Quay Park project announced in 2017; work started in 2020 and is to be completed by 2024. [1] It is expected to ease congestion on Auckland rail lines by allowing "through" trains to pass stationary trains at stations, improve rail freight access from the Port of Auckland to the Westfield yards and allow more frequent passenger and freight services.[2] The new line would be between Westfield and Wiri.[3]
These improvements will avoid an estimated 175,000 annual freight movements on the state highway network. Work began at the end of 2020. The $315 million funding package for these works was announced as part of the Government's New Zealand Upgrade Programme.
Electrification and new stations
Along with the rest of Auckland's suburban railway network, the Southern Line was electrified from Waitematā to Papakura, with electric services beginning in 2014. Services between Pukekohe and Papakura are still provided by diesel multiple units (DMUs). In 2020, as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, the government announced $371 million in funding to extend electrification from Papakura to Pukekohe. The project is due for completion in early 2025.[4][5]
As part of the Pukekohe electrification project, new stations are to be built at Drury, Ngākōroa and Paerātā.[4]
Services
Suburban services are operated by Auckland One Rail under the AT Metro brand.
Stations on the line
Stations in grey are closed or no longer served by the Southern Line.
| Station | Distance from Auckland (km)[6] | Height above sea level (m) | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waitematā | 0 km | 4m below sea level | Located beneath the site of the 1885-1930 Queen Street station. Open. New Zealand's second underground station. At this location Point Britomart station opened 24-12-1873 and closed 29-11-1885 and Queen Street station opened 30-11-1885 and closed 16-11-1930. New Zealand's lowest public point.[7] |
| Auckland | 0 km | 3 | Located on Beach Road, Parnell. Opened 17-12-1930. Closed July 2003. Former Platform 7 renamed Strand Railway Station and retained for excursion services, and later, the Northern Explorer. |
| Parnell | Opened 12-03-2017. Located on the western side of Parnell shops near the old Mainline Steam site on Cheshire St. | ||
| Newmarket | 2.53 | 53 | Open (Four platform junction station). |
| Remuera | 4.04 | 81 | Open. Uses 1902-era Troup-designed station and signal box. |
| Greenlane | 5.53 | 57 | Open |
| Ellerslie Racecourse Platform | 5.8 | 50 | Closed. Platforms still exist. |
| Ellerslie | 6.96 | 31 | Open |
| Penrose | 8.44 | 23 | Open |
| Southdown | 10.26 | 4.2 | Closed 2004 |
| Westfield | 11.27 | 7.6 | Closed March 2017.[8] |
| Ōtāhuhu | 12.51 | 9.44 | Open |
| Mangere | 13.28 | 10.66 | Closed |
| Middlemore | 14.33 | 8.8 | Open |
| Papatoetoe | 16.13 | 18 | Open |
| Puhinui | 17.66 | 19.8 | Open |
| Wiri | 19.04 | 22.25 | Closed 2005 |
| Homai | 20.88 | 30.78 | Open |
| Manurewa | 22.77 | 17 | Open |
| Te Mahia | 24.29 | 14.9 | Open |
| Takaanini | 25.9 | 15.2 | Open |
| Tironui | 27.56 | 15.5 | Closed 1980. Proposal for new station nearby at Walters Road lodged 2012. |
| Papakura | 29.42 | 19.2 | Open. Terminus for electric unit services. |
The following section of track is being electrified. New stations are set to open at Drury, Ngākōroa and Paerātā.
| Station | Distance from Auckland (km)[6] | Height above sea level (m) | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Papakura | 29.42 | 19.2 | Open |
| Opaheke | 31.92 | 14.5 | Closed 1955. Known as "Hunua" until 1939. |
| Drury | 34.81 | 9 | Closed 1972. Proposal to re-open lodged 2012. New station set to open in 2025.[9] |
| Runciman | 36 | 8 | Closed 1918 |
| Ngākōroa | New station set to open in 2026.[9] | ||
| Paerātā | 43.31 | 45.1 | Closed 1980. New station set to open in 2025.[9] |
| Pukekohe | 47.8 | 60.65 | Open. Closed for redevelopment from 13 August 2022 to early 2025.[10][11] |
See also
References
- ^ "The Third Main Line". KiwiRail. 2023.
- ^ "Agenda for a meeting of the Infrastructure Committee - 5.9 Hamilton to Auckland Passenger Rail – Progress Update and Future Direction" (PDF). Waikato District Council. 27 June 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2021.
- ^ "The Third Main Line". KiwiRail. 2023.
- ^ a b Coughlan, Thomas (29 January 2020). "Government announces billions of infrastructure spending, with roads the big winner". Stuff. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ^ "Electric trains to Pukekohe". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ a b New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 3 & 4.
- ^ "Britomart Transport Interchange, Auckland: Alterations and strengthening of the former Chief Post Office" (PDF). Opus International Consultants. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "Westfield Station closing permanently from 12 March 2017". Auckland Transport. 14 March 2017. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "Auckland train network". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "Pukekohe Station Closure". Auckland Transport. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "Electric trains to Pukekohe". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
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