A $600 million upgrade of Auckland’s rail network and electrification is well underway with the opening of Newmarket’s new station marking a major milestone.
- Location: Auckland
- Started: Dec 2007
- Cost: $47,000,000
- Product: GAP65 and CTB
- Completed: Dec 2010
- Contractor: Hawkins Infrastructure
Auckland public transport soon to be back on the rails
A collaboration between ONTRACK and ARTA, the Newmarket rail upgrade began in 2007 and from the outset was a significant infrastructure improvement project. With rail use up by 97%, more frequent rail services were required and being located at the junction of three rail routes, Newmarket station had formed a bottleneck, preventing any increase in service.
Requiring major track reorganisation, the project was dubbed the most challenging of the entire Auckland upgrade. ONTRACK funded approximately $45 million to change the layout; three new bridges were constructed and the new station now has twin island platforms (built up with Hunua Cement Treated Basecourse and GAP65), with three tracks.
As Auckland’s second busiest rail station the upgrade, by necessity, was executed while trains were still operational. Two temporary stations served the area with commuters continuing their travel as earthworks, foundations, retaining walls and civil construction were undertaken.
In 2008 the existing station was removed and, after 100 years of service, so was the signal box – the last full size, lever frame box on the national network. Controversy surrounds the fate of the original station although it’s possible that it will be moved to Parnell to serve as a station for the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
In his speech at the January 2010 opening of the Newmarket station, Transport Minister Steven Joyce said the new station offers “all the amenities and services expected of a modern public transport facility”. Funded by ARTA, at a cost of around $25 million, the station itself was designed to cater for a 2016 projection of 17,000 commuters per day. A large concourse level with a floating roof canopy houses the ticket office and bathrooms, providing commuters shelter from the sun, wind and rain. A new square, accessed from Broadway provides outdoor space as well as cafes and shops.
The Numbers
- 2007 start date
- $47,000,000 total contract value
- 1.3km track
- 17,000 passengers capacity
- 1908 original station constructed
- 5000m³ cement treated basecourse
ONTRACK’s Project Dart: Developing Auckland’s Rail Network
The most significant rail development since the eighties, Project DART is a series of upgrades that will increase capacity, allowing trains to run more frequently and extending the reach to new locations.
The project includes:
- Newmarket station and junction redevelopment
- Double-tracking the western line
- Reopening the Onehunga line
- Linking Manukau City to the rail network
- Upgrading Eden Park station in preparation for the World Cup
