Subscribe to RSSSelwyn Train Station $50,000 Study
Auckland Council is asking Auckland Transport to conduct a feasibility study up to $50,000 on a possible Selwyn train station.
Councillor Cameron Brewer moved the amendment.
This was passed at the Council’s strategy and finance committee after a call from Orakei Local Board member Ken Baguley, the former Auckland City Council transport committee chairman.
There has been some lobbying to the local board for some months for a new Eastern Bays rail link and AKT has been strongly in favour of this.
A deputation was made by Chris McGuirk and Roy Clements to the Orakei board earlier in the year arguing that a small train station in the vicinity of St John’s and Selwyn College would benefit college students.
They said this would ease the congestion on Kohimaramara Rd and therefore the safety of staff, students and the public.
It would also:
- Facilitate a faster movement of students from the Panmure /Glen Innes/ Mt Wellington areas who at present have to use two to three buses to arrive and leave from Selwyn
- Provide better transport for the community of St John’s
- Help the movement of sports athletes and fans for ASB Stadium events
- Allow the residents of Kohimaramara the option of tail via a small link road from Kohi Rd to the proposed new station.
At an earlier meeting of the board, Ken Baguley said that with increased awareness of the use of trains to provide passenger transport services, the residents of St Heliers, Kohimarama, Mission Bay and St Johns miss out on the opportunity to access train services because there is no intermediate station on the South Eastern line between Meadowbank and Glen Innes.
The board considered there could be an opportunity to utilise land bordering the rail below St Johns Road at the St Heliers Road intersection to provide a rail station that could address this issue.
The board passed a motion requesting Auckland Transport to investigate the feasibility of an additional train station on the South Eastern line near Selwyn College with “kiss and ride” access from Kohimarama Road at that intersection of St Heliers Bay Road.
Selwyn marked with a cross
After the earlier Orakei board discussion, Auckland Transport had replied, saying that while there are “obviously some practical difficulties in providing a new station in the vicinity of Selwyn College, there was merit in the suggestion.”
Auckland Transport had assured the board that the proposition would be looked at properly so that it could “get to a more definitive answer.”
Now they’re being told to take do more homework to try to make it happen.
A station there would open up the opportunity for more growth in Auckland rail patronage and service an area that presently just misses out on rail.
Let’s hope it happens.
16 Comments
I am all for this…but I has to be done properly….. Full Station, excellent road and pedestrian access, and Park and Ride facility. If they are going to do it, it has to be done right the first time…..
For me…. Access via Gowing Drive just doesnt cut it…. via Kohimaramara or St Johns Roads or both (via loop road) must be considered…..
I would like to see this replace Meadowbank
I’m not so convinced its a good idea unless it was done in conjunction with removing another station from the line. My main issue is that by just putting more stations in really close to each other we end up just slow down the journey so everyone south of there who catches a train suffers as a result and our trains are slow enough as it is.
Also the neighbouring board are pushing for a station to be added between Glen Innes and Panmure. If these two stations are added without removing something else then for the stations south of there, which are the ones that generate most of the patronage, we would be adding 2-3 minutes to each trip and that is even with the new electric trains.
The location indicated has a much bigger residential catchment than Meadowbank does and considering Meadowbank continues to be one of the lowest stations for patronage, perhaps that station should be moved and that would give all the stations on the eastern line a pretty good spacing and allow trains to make the most of their speed.
Agreed, if going to build Selwyn station, then Meadowbank MUST go.
Selwyn Station with a proper road/pedestrian/park and ride connection would suit and be of better service for the catchment area then the existing Meadowbank Station.
We do have to be careful adding extra stations on the network as it would make any improvements including the EMU’s fail. Same applies to re-opening Tamaki, I wouldn’t, I would make Panmure and G.I more accessible which would have greater benefits then Tamaki anyhow.
That and a certain something else.
Agreed, it really should be a rationalisation of the suboptimal Meadowbank station… would be good to get this area served much better by the line heading through there. The tricky thing will be to link it with buses on St John’s Rd
Also walking and cycling links need to be connected up through here, while of course planning for additional rail lines.
Out the back of Selwyn is half way between GI and Orakei Stations interestingly, but pretty hard to link up with other modes, especially the main roads.
Meadowbank doesn’t have to go.
The distance between GI and Meadowbank is sizeable compared to the rest of the system and a station around the Selwyn College, Gowing drive area would be a great idea..
It’s the gap between Meadowbank and Orakei that is too short if anything.
Wasp - exactly, the distance between Orakei and Meadowbank is very short while there is quite a distance from Meadowbank to GI is quite large so moving it creates a few well spaced stations
This station will happen. Because rich people support it.
Purewa Valley is one of the last pieces of unprotected bushland in central Auckland with an abundance of native flora and fauna. We should aim to save it from this sort of development for future generations to enjoy. No brightly lit station and congested park n ride thanks. Eastern Bays suburbs already have great transport links and feeder bus services to GI, Meadowbank and Orakei should be investigated. I’d rather see money spent on extending services towards outlying areas and the CBD circuit.
I am fairly certain that Purewa Valley is a transport corridor… the only reason it is still bush land is because they have waited to do anything with it…
Travis is right on that one
Eastern Highway anyone if it was built as originally planned by 1985?
that ‘x’ on the map seems to be inside the tunnel. Are property acquisitions going to be considered?
Much better idea than the doomed eastern highway!
the images are terrible i cant make out where the stop will be,but you need a train station for kohimarama/selwyn, it will help the residents here and the traffic to and back from town is bad since you can go across Grafton bridge so your forced to go along tamaki drive
A station in the suggested position is essential.
The catchment area from St Johns Road down to the rail line is massive ( 500 homes on or down driveways in Gowing Drive alone) .
This coupled with the north side Selwyn College/Kepa Rd and the Stadium make it a logical move.
The average stop time at Meadowbank Sation is 3 minutes I have timed it .
Meadowbank station is used extensively but the side roads are cluttered with cars as it is to far out of the way for most people to walk to.
I would say a walkway would be needed from Gowing Drive to the rail line. In the UK in Queensland and NSW stations are much closer together .
A Train Station here to help the ASB Stadium & Selwyn College would certainly help people move about Auckland faster. Kepa Road and the whole Gowing Drive area are all within the station catchment area.
I hope this happens sooner rather than later.