While many Kiwis are looking forward to a well-earned summer break, KiwiRail teams are ramping up in preparation for their busiest Christmas closure period to date.
The Auckland rail network will close from 27 December 2024 to 27 January 2025 (reopening on 28 January), to carry out critical upgrades to prepare for the faster, more frequent train services the City Rail Link will bring. Some areas will be impacted for a slightly longer period until full services run from 3 February 2024.
Over the extended closure period this year, more than 1350 KiwiRail staff and contractors will be working across over 110 sites on the Auckland metro network. This will allow them to make significant progress on key upgrade projects and carry out essential work to raise the standard of the rail network.
“It’s a massive feat, getting all the moving parts together so our teams can complete the work we need to do,” said Jon Knight, General Manager Metros, KiwiRail.
“This is part of a huge ‘final push’ to prepare for City Rail Link and ensure the metro network is ready to accommodate the increase in the number of trains. We’re grateful to our people who are giving up their summer break to work round the clock to get this done while we make the most of quieter travel periods to carry out the bulk of the closures.”
Auckland Transport Director Public Transport and Active Modes Stacey van der Putten said the CRL is New Zealand’s largest public transport project.
“Once open in 2026, there will be new and easier connections by public transport, more reliable trains, and big cuts to journey times,” she said.
“The rail upgrade work happening during summer is critical to making this happen, but we know having the rail network closed is frustrating for customers. We’re working hard to keep Auckland moving. During rail closures, trains will be replaced with buses, including express services across the entire network, ensuring people can still get where they need to go.”
City Rail Link Ltd’s Systems Director Wayne Cooney explains: “Getting ready for City Rail Link’s passengers in 2026 requires a wide range of upgrades and renewals of Auckland’s rail network, in addition to fitting out new stations, and integrating, testing and commissioning of new systems. We ask Aucklanders to bear with us: It will be worth the wait.”
Where KiwiRail is working
During the summer rail closures KiwiRail will be delivering essential work across a number of rail projects. These include:
- Kick starting the final stages of the Rail Network Rebuild (RNR)– upgrading the priority areas to help trains run more smoothly and reliably, increasing resilience.
- Completing Papakura to Pukekohe section of RNR. Electric trains will run from Pukekohe Station from 3 February.
- Finalising the Middlemore Station upgrade and working on the Third Main Line which will separate passenger and freight trains on the busiest parts of the network to allow more frequent services.
- Working on two of three new stations in Southern Auckland – Drury and Paerātā.
- Upgrade work at Henderson Station, which involves rebuilding track foundations, drainage upgrades, installing three new turnouts and Auckland Transport’s station improvements.
- Maintenance work across Auckland, including replacing rails, turnouts, sleepers and ballast.
- Flood and slip recovery work across multiple sites.
The summer rail closure in stats:
- More than 110 sites
- More than 1350 people
- 75 per cent of Rail Network Rebuild Upgrades will be delivered 24/7
- Rail Network Rebuild teams will be working across over 30km of the network and aiming to complete 2km of formation work and approximately 3km of drainage work
- Replacement of approximately 130 metres of ballasted track (the rocks that the track sits on) with concrete slab track on the Eastern approaches to the Britomart Tunnel
- Between Middlemore and Puhinui: 70,000 tonnes of aggregate (350,000 wheelbarrow loads) will be used to replace 3.6km of rail.
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