Subscribe to RSSMinister To Open Grafton Station
Transport Minister Steven Joyce tomorrow afternoon officially opens the new Grafton train station, with Auckland’s Mayor John Banks and other dignitaries in attendance at the invitation-only event.
Let’s hope Mr Banks has a word in his ear about the next needed project - the CBD rail loop!
Last minute additions - cycle racks & timetable info boards
The last Western Line trains to stop at Boston Road do so on Saturday and from Sunday, the new Grafton station will become the stop there.
Besides avoiding the odd situation of a train stopping outside a prison, the idea with changing to a Grafton stop was to provide greater train access to a wider range of educational institutes, Auckland Hospital and medical institutions, and the Domain. The Central Connector also is relocating the majority of bus routes from Khyber Pass Road to Park Road to provide better integration between bus and rail services.
It’s been a massive project beyond just a train station, involving the installation of the second rail track from the Newmarket junction to Boston Road. This required the rebuilding and widening of both Park Road and Khyber Park Road bridges.
And it’s all looking awesome.
A weekend to celebrate!
17 Comments
It certainly looks great and will be a welcome addition to the network and the area.
I also agree, lets hope the pressure now goes on for the tunnel as well as the airport line
Looking good indeed. And whatever criticism I have about Steve Joyce, I actually think it’s good to see him opening train stations. One day he may even get used to them.
Looks fantastic, to train to Grafton and jump on the Central Connector will be so good. I look forward to intergrated ticketing.
So Humpty Dumpty is with Banks and opening a fantastic piece of infrastructure neither has anything to do with…
Cue Dr Evil laughter…
*had anything
It might sound smart to come up with clever names to call people in a public forum.
Whatever someone might think of the job a Minister is doing, its pretty disrespectful to stoop to name-calling. Doesn’t help maintain a dialogue/debate any either.
Joust, lighten up. We have pointed out a lot of times, and in very reasoned terms, why we disagree with his policies.
Calling him “Humpty Dumpty”, when Jeremy probably would like to call him a few much stronger things, is pretty tame.
Except calling him a name at all is not going to help get him interested in PT and the people who want it.
Jeremy - why would you want to deter the minister from opening public infrastructure as you are doing? We want to get him used to doing so, he might even get used to it and see the benefits.
Plus John Banks has been the driving force of alot of PT improvement around the Auckland Region, saying he has nothing to do with it is incorrect and stripping any credit is not going to help chances of improving Aucklands transport as he has done a fantastic job so far, better than any other Auckland Mayor to date. Not to mention he’s done more than fellow supercity candidate Brown.
one of the best things about this site is that it has attracted intelligent debate and not. as most forums do, include primary school level playground name calling.
I’m appalled that Jeremy you have introduced this. I would not be surprised if people in high places read this blog, something obvious from quotes Jon gathers for posts and the way changes do happen.
They will just assume those pressing for better public transport are a bunch of loud mouthed aggressive and nasty people, which we aren’t.
Grow up or go to the CBT forums if the only way you can debate if through vile name calling,
It is *vile* name calling now?
Humpty Dumpty and Dr Evil are not exactly terms of endearment, but they were clearly meant in a joking way, to illustrate Jeremy’s opinion.
There’s better ways of arguing, certainly. But this hardly rises to the level of duelling pistols at dawn.
Wooo… Sorry to those who have taken offence…
I am glad the minister and mayor are opening this infrastructure, at least they have to think about PT for a morning…
My point simply was that they both have worked at one point or another against the best interests of the rail system and had little to do with the funding or planning of this project… and well that Joyce looks like Humpty Dumpty…
I wasn’t meaning that in a name calling way, kind of a cutesy nickname way…
To be perfectly honest I don’t think Joyce reads this blog and even if he did only gas prices over $3 a litre will change his mind about PT…
For god’s sake people lighten the hell up. It was just a flippant remark meant in jest. @Sarah and Joust if this really offends you, you both need to get out more. I’m sure even Joyce himself would not be as offended at this as you to seem to be on
his behalf. In fact i’m pretty sure he wouldn’t give a rat’s backside about it.
BTW - Rodney Hide is way more Dr Evil than Joycey, he’s a dead ringer.
For god’s sake people lighten the hell up. It was just a flippant remark meant in jest. @Sarah and Joust if this really offends you, you both need to get out more. I’m sure even Joyce himself would not be as offended at this as you to seem to be on his behalf. In fact i’m pretty sure he wouldn’t give a rat’s backside about it.
BTW - Rodney Hide is way more Dr Evil than Joycey, he’s a dead ringer.
@Cam it was the laugh I was implying would be Dr Evil not his looks
For instance if I was Minister of Transport and was taking credit for opening some dirty great big motorway I was basically opposed to that the previous government had planned and funded I would have a bit of a laugh afterwards:
*clears throat*
MUHAhahahahah…
What are the pedestrian links like between the station and the Domain and hospital? Any improvements to the footpath or road there?
The section immeaditely adjacent to the hospital was improved as part of the Central Connector, with shelter over some of the walk, and the footpaths have been remade as part of the bridges being remade (seemingly at a similiar width) so overall some improvement but not much…
The best part of the station is every side of the new bridges has a staircase down so no pedestrian needs to cross the road to get down to it which is better than what I would have thought up…