Subscribe to RSSBDO Patrons, Check Out Onehunga’s Penrose Line - Latest Photos
If you’re going by train today to BDO, (details here) notice when you arrive how Penrose train station’s Onehunga line connection is slowly taking shape.
Stand on the Penrose station, look towards the right in this picture and you can see the building of the Onehunga line platform and the track formation.
That platform is close and handy to Station Road, unlike the Penrose station, for which you have to walk on a footbridge.
Here is how the concrete platform is looking up close - still a lot of work to be done.
13 Comments
By the look of it the walkway to the main Penrose station starts right next to this new one so it should be an easy connection between the two? Looking forward to the opening of this line.
When they discontinued the Onehunga line years ago, how far back did they pull the lines up. Have they relaid line from Penrose?
John I believe the line has been reinstated and is just waiting for the platforms to be built (ARTA haven’t got their act together)
“Penrose train station’s Onehunga line connection is slowly taking shape.”
Slowly being the operative word.
““Penrose train station’s Onehunga line connection is slowly taking shape.”
Slowly being the operative word.”
How much is that likely to be due to the other projects just having higher priority in terms of money and workforce? And rightly so, I think - I’m all for reopening the branch, but the work on the existing lines is more crucial and needs to be driven as hard and fast as possible during the precious weeks of closure. They can always work on Onehunga later, it’s not like they will disrupt passengers.
@John mostly. They are adding a Te Papapa stop - see http://www.aktnz.co.nz/2009/11/10/construction-starts-for-te-papapa-station-for-onehunga-line-photos/
@ Max @Chris It feels slow but this is a problem child that still has some issues esp. at the Onehunga end http://www.aktnz.co.nz/2009/11/11/planned-onehunga-station-will-need-more-funding-photos/ and
http://www.aktnz.co.nz/2009/12/24/onehung-up-train-noise-is-latest-problem/
among other issues.
The track bed goes down to Onehunga wharf and the new tracks have been laid and ballasted to Galway Street ending sort of nowhere just short of the original Onehunga station, but it remains to be seen if they are going to connect the wharf to the line for freight. Mangere bridge would make a good station for people living over the bridge though.
@Kurt the original rail track to the port has partly been turned into a carpark and a foreshore walkway so it will require this being removed before the port link is reinstated.
@KurtYes it is a good idea but Ports of Auckland don`t seem to be interested at all despite at least one shipping company that uses the Onehunga port coming out and saying they`d be keen.
Things have improved all the time - Looking back at this line. Let me give you a little history since I’ve known it
40 years ago - as a schoolboy I made my way over to Penrose and caught the daily commuter train one way. it was Dsc hauled and consisted I think of a car and car/van. I think the latter now being out at the GVR.
I then had to catch a trolley bus back to the city and a bus home to the Eastern Suburbs.
Intermittent railcar trips were run out on the line over the years since it was last fully used, so it can’t really be claimed that it was mothballed. As well as which the Owens Siding was in use until their new facility was opened a couple of years ago. In fact there was a runaway down the grade. I have read a TAIC report which i think can be read on their website.
Probably the darkest day for me personally was seeing the Penrose Station in the pitch black on a very wet week night full of patrons from the League match. I think this was about 2005. Thankfully those dark days are behind us now. I’ve posted a few Youtube Videos taken as long ago as 2001. Footage that I took never intending to load to Youtube
(Forgive the commentary please)
Year 2000/2001 (show’s Owens Siding through to the wharf)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm6wZie1vQY&fmt=18
Year 2007
Woops - the URL for the 2000,2001 video is
The Penrose station should have been relocated back under the Great Sth Rd over-bridge, and access to the platforms would be down ramps from the footpaths on the bridge.
THAT way, trains going south to Papakura, and those swinging right to Onehunga would all have used the same platforms.
NOW the trains will use different platforms and those wanting to transfer from one line to the other will have to walk to the other station over that appalling eye-sore of a footbridge….stupid!
The present Penrose station is definitely in the wrong place. As Carl says, it should be re-positioned a couple of hundred metres back under the Gt South Rd bridge. Ramps down to the platforms could come down from the bridge footpaths, (the same as they do in Greenlane), and then everyone using the station would all use the same platforms. Under this present scheme, southbound trains will still use the old station and Onehunga trains will use the new platform. That means that anyone coming from Onehunga wanting to go south will have to get off on one platform, walk quite a distance across the bridge to the old station. Anyone coming into the city and wanting to go to Onehunga will have to do the same in reverse. I agree, it’s a stupid idea.