Subscribe to RSSPhotos: Auckland Rail 12 Months Ago
It’s extraordinary to revisit Auckland’s rail network exactly 12 months ago and see what amazing progress has been made.
Parts of the network, especially the Western Line, are unrecognizable.
Here’s a look from AKT’s picture archives of what was being covered here last December.
Onehunga wasn’t showing much progress and readers were worrying it would not happen in 2010.
New Lynn’s rail trench project was on track for the following September but work had slowed while other rail projects took precedence.
Grafton was still being built and railbridges replaced.
Boston St was still the stop for the area outside the prison.
And the work was carrying on on the corridor between Newmarket and Grafton.
Old Newmarket’s station (remember it)..
Was becoming the new Newmarket, to open after Christmas.
An open day was held just before Christmas to show it off:
Newmarket West stop at Kingdon St was being demolished triggering an angry email exchange reported exclusively by AKT.
Then ARC Chair Mike Lee told the KiwiRail Chair that KiwiRail had chosen to trash a commitment to consult before deciding on the future of the station. KiwiRail’s chair said the new Newmarket Station was built as a key junction in the network and a permanent alternative is not funded.
Between Avondale and New Lynn track work and level crossing upgrades continued.
And Avondale’s new platform and re-sited station was starting to take shape.
Workers at Mt Eden station were up to their ankles in mud as bridge clearance work and platform extensions began.
Piledriving was going on at Kingsland in preparation for the underpass and later the platform extensions.
St Marks rail bridge was being replaced amid the Newmarket Viaduct work.
The Parnell Strand bridge was being prepared for clearance for electrification as were several other bridges such as Mt Eden and Sandringham Rd/Kingsland.
AKT showed how cracked the Sturges Rd railbridge was (and it’s taken a year to upgrade!):
Swanson was getting Kingsland-style lift towers and a nice makeover.
There wasn’t much to see at Manukau with the new rail link work starting.
The only sad note: Helensville’s train service was coming to an end.The last one (below) on Christmas Eve.
Those who have started using the trains this year - thousands of new commuters- have no idea what it looked like a year today.
For all our current moans, it’s always good to have a check on a year’s progress.
12 Comments
Thanks for the summary - it’s always easy to see what progress we’ve made in a year. Now we have to make sure money continues to flow allowing continued upgrading of the network.
Thanks for the reminder!! It is indeed astonishing how far we have come in a year, and how much work can be accomplished over one year.
The sad thing is how far yet we have to go!
Don’t see it like this Chris. See it as an opportunity to have lots of good-news stories in the press for the next couple years.
Shows how much catching up Auckland has had and still has to do to get the PT system to start to look like something befitting a large city like Auckland.
And Jon C, Thanks for bringing us all this info
Top marks
Yip 2010 certainly was a big year. Apart from all the infrastructure upgraded or created, there was also the start of six car services and more services that came with the new timetable in July.
And Santa my wish list for 2011 will bring another new timetable with more services perhaps starting from Huapai, The opening of the Manukau spur, Announcement of a tender-winning high quality EMU that will put a smile on many Aucklanders faces, new signalling systems that really help the fluidity of services, the announcement of a Waikato commuter service and the biggie, The government sees the light and commits to the CBD tunnel! Hope I haven`t missed anything!
Simon, you did forget something: a government that realises that major capital investment in roads is of no long-term benefit to the country beyond the completion of the Waterview project.
Maybe a Minister who understands that Transport encompasses more than just his mates at the RCF?
let’s hope Santa Steven is replaced with some else but who I wouldn’t know that’s idea who in the National Party would make a better transport minister
The awful thing is that we could have done worse.
I wrote to Maurice Williamson when he was Transport spokesperson pretending to hate rail and he replied promptly agreeing that electrification should be scrapped.
@ Luke LOL
That’s awful!!
But entirely unsurprising.
Did he ever admit to it in public?
This is brilliant! Thanks for the information; I had no idea that so much was happening with the railway, and being a rail fan myself it comes as a big surprise - happy one I must add quickly.