Subscribe to RSSSylvia Park Shows Up The Rest Again
I have long argued that trains should run as close as possible to shopping malls.
SYLVIA: Drop off at the mall
It’s easy and less stressful to get in a train and back, than hunt around for a mall carpark at such a busy time.
The only downside is if you get too overloaded with big parcels that are hard to carry!
Good on ARTA for recognizing this and organizing additional evening train services that will run to and from Sylvia Park in the week leading up to Christmas for those taking advantage of late night shopping.
I love taking the train to Sylvia Park and as noted several times here, this was a shopping centre that financed a train stop themselves, recognizing it would bring in customers.
The additional train services will run on the Eastern line from Sunday running up to and including Wednesday 23 December. See Maxx for timetables. Again what a shame Manukau’s new line stops short of its Westgate centre.
There will also be late services for the Green Day concert.
11 Comments
It would be great if Westfield St Lukes invested in somekind of rail link with the existing Western line.
Considering the mall has plans for another extension, I hope they consider it.
Johans, Good on you. I’m with you on this one. See my earlier post on how the expansion at the mall should be used to work out some way to expand the lines http://www.aktnz.co.nz/2009/07/14/st-lukes-mall-expansion-where-is-the-train-station/
i’m surprised they are not putting more trains on the western line as well, Henderson Station is also outside the westcity mall and is just a short walk across the road
I love getting to Sylvia park this way, true. But I totally hate that you can’t park and ride from Sylvia Park, you have to go all the way up to Panmure Station to do that.
Makes no sense at all.
Anyway, I’m avoiding the mall till at least 15 Jan 2010 so no worries anyway.
Keep on bloggin, man!
Why not just park at Sylvia Park’s carparks and take the train? Or do they actually enforce the time limits?
Sylvia Park and Westfield Henderson illustrate the two mindsets of mall owning companies. First Sylvia Park`s owners parted with their own cash in recognising it was another way to bring customers to their mall while Westfield, despite being just over the road, would have nothing to do with the new station project that was on their doorstep. If I had been them I would have been going to the Waitakere City Council and negotiating to have the airbridge extended across to the mall so that customers could enter directly from the station.
I also love taking the train to/from Sylvia Park. Chuck in a ferry to/from Birkenhead with a 4-6 minute transit at Britomart and things couldn’t be any sweater or stress free.
Which is exactly what we did TODAY!
Other prime stations with shopping locales/malls…
Newmarket
Morningside (c 500m)
Avondale (the markets)
New Lynn and Lynmall right there
Henderson of course.
Glen Innes
Panmure
Sylvia Park
Manukau (SOON + c500m)
Manurewa of coarse.
Have I missed any? (Kingsland???)
An interesting article Jon – great stuff!
One side of Morningside Road is nothing by a dying line of industry wasteland that could be brought out and be converted into a rail link to the Western line (would of loved to have a tunnel link but pfft like if they would pay for one let alone allocate a few metres for bus stops within the mall for ease of access).
I think Westfield should see the long term benefits of having this important link as they can’t continue building a maze of carparks!
Also they should try to integrate the bus services better with the mall – maybe they should surrender a few carpark spaces to have the bus stops within the mall grounds not outside a busy road.About the New Lynn Trench station is it just me but I would of loved somekind of tunnel entrance from the station directly into the mall? I don’t understand why Westfield Downtown paid to have the Britomart link extended directly into the mall.
Oh well anyone who would love to fulfill my christmas wish list please do!
Good thinking Johans. That industrial wasteland has the same dusty for lease or for sale signs I saw a year ago so there’s some opportunity to buy land but I gather Westfield in its expansion plans have an eye on extending the mall as far as they need long term so I doubt we will ever see it happen.
Henderson is only across the road from the mall - I was there the other day and LynMall is right there.
Simon, you’re right about the mindset. I wish the owners of Sylvia Park could buy out the Westfield malls here but that won’t happen.
Patrick - what a great journey, a mix of sea and train. That would certainly chill you out at this stressful time. I went over to Devonport the other night to chill but the scheduled ferry trip I wanted was cancelled. The announcement about the cancellation reminded me of Britomart! I thought that only happened with trains.
Nathaniel, cheers my friend.
James P- that’s a question I often wonder myself at these malls. I have never seen anyone checking the parking not even at short time zone places. Of course Murphys Law is the day you do leave the car there, its the day they get out and tow you away!
The bus services at St Lukes could be improved. Last time I checked the 22- and 23- service from Henderson stopped at 6pm. Bit useless if you’re going to the late-night movies there — as you have to use 007 to Pt Chev or St Heliers, walk up to New North Road to catch 21- or Western trains or walk to Sandringham Road for the 24- buses. When you just want to get to the city the options are too variable…
At the end of the day Westfield put their mall in the worse possible place for bus/train routes. Had they just put it right on New North Road they would have connections with 21- buses and not needed a bus route diversion. And, as you guys have noted, it’ld be right next to the railway line.
If I could change it, I would’ve put the mall on the motorway side of the St Lukes/New North intersection — allowing interchange with 21-buses and the Western Line. And additionally it would be closer to the motorway — thereby reducing traffic on local roads.