Crossing Over For RWC2011

 

Phew! Back to train nerd posts that won’t attract the media’s glaze!

One of the key projects being worked on by Auckland rail workers during this weekend is a new crossover between tracks at Morningside Station.

 

The crossover will allow trains to leave from both platforms after the RWC matches.

There are ‘game day train stations’ for major events at Eden Park.
Morningside is the Eden Park game day station for people travelling to and from the west.

Kingsland is the game day station for people coming from and going back to Britomart, and using the Southern and Eastern Lines

In February, trains running in the same direction on both rail lines was attempted at Kingsland for the first time after a Blues match. This meant trains could leave Kingsland Station every five minutes from alternate platforms as crowds leave the game for the city.
Approximately 200m from the station trains crossed back to the track used for normal services. Trains ran west from Morningside Station after the game.

The new set up is part of Kiwirail’s major upgrades to tracks and signals in recent months.

And work going on on the city-bound section:

There are still remnants around the Kingsland station this afternoon of patrons’ drinking from last night’s Blues game!

Kingsland station itself is closed off as foundation work continues around the area where there will be canopies covering RWC match-goers from any wind and rain.

And work is going on around an emergency area in case needed during the RWC at the far city bound end beyond the platform.

I have really grown to love like the Billy Apple created space on the corner of Walters Rd that at first had looked a bit like a cross between a hopscotch game and a mini golf course.
Well done to the local board at the time that did their best to create interesting spaces with the Council’s demands which sadly included making the Wairepo walkway to Eden park a shared space not pedestrian only.

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6 Comments

 
  1. Andrew says:

    That looks more like 2x pedestrian crossings, one on each side of Morningside Drive - something that was sorely missing, as there was no barrier, maze or anything between people exiting the station, and crossing trains.

    A (track) crossover would go in to the west of the station, allowing game trains from the usually citybound platform to cross over on to the westbound track.

    If they’re working on that, then I’d imagine the western underpass would be the best place to go to get photos.

  2. Carl says:

    there needs to be more of these cross over track things.

    Perth has a few services where it only runs 1/2 way down the line in one direction (peak) and then switches and goes back up the line to were it started and does the same thing again and again, until peak movement is over (generally 7pm during the week, different idea on game day).

    it creates an extra service on a line that services all the hot spots during peak.

    and on game days for aussie rules, they have special services that skip stations to the game and full service back.

    for example (using same distance) for a Rugby game at Eden Park, A train would leave from Papakura and arrive at eden park avoiding Britomart, spin around and go back.

    surely somewhere in the plan on the rail grid that is possible? and not every train that heads out to eden park has to go through Britomart?

    I guess in my own default, Perth is designed in such away that its “britomart” is a through station….

  3. James B says:

    I live around here and I have yet to see Wairepo walkway open to traffic.

  4. Mark says:

    On Wairepo - rumour has it that AT are starting to realise how dangerous it could be if it was to be opened to cars. So we may still see it kept pedestrian only - which would be a great result.

  5. Patrick R says:

    I’m sure that was always the plan… good on them.

  6. Commuter says:

    Making it pedestrian only will send NZTA into a hissy fit and they’ll probably demand ‘their’ subsidy back. Tell them to take a walk, I say.

 

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