Auckland, New Zealand – 13 September 2026 — Auckland has entered a new era of urban rail transport with the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL) to passenger services, marking one of the most significant changes to the city’s railway network in generations.
The NZ$5.493 billion City Rail Link, New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project, includes 3.45 kilometres of twin underground railway tunnels running beneath central Auckland and reaching depths of up to 42 metres.
The project connects the existing Waitematā Station, formerly Britomart, with the redeveloped Maungawhau Station on the Western Line, while introducing two completely new underground city-centre stations at Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape.
From Terminus to Through-Running Railway
The significance of the City Rail Link extends well beyond the construction of a new underground railway.
Before the CRL, trains arriving at Waitematā terminated in the city centre. The project has transformed Waitematā into a two-way through station, allowing trains to continue beneath central Auckland and connect with the wider network.
This fundamentally changes how Auckland’s railway operates and enables more direct cross-city journeys.
The opening has also brought a major reorganisation of Auckland’s rail services.
The former Eastern and Western lines are now connected as the East West Line, while the Southern Line becomes the South City Line and the Onehunga Line becomes the Onehunga West Line.
The new network is designed to provide faster journeys, increased train frequencies and improved connectivity across Auckland.
Two New Underground Stations
At the heart of the project are the new Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape underground stations.
Te Waihorotiu provides new rail access to Auckland’s midtown area, with entrances at Victoria and Wellesley Streets.
Karanga-a-Hape serves the Karangahape Road area through entrances at Mercury Lane and Beresford Square.
Maungawhau Station has also been substantially redeveloped to accommodate the new CRL connection, while Waitematā Station has been transformed from the previous terminus configuration into a through station.
Together, the four stations form the central connection through which the new cross-city railway network operates.
Major Railway Systems Integration Programme
Delivering the City Rail Link required considerably more than tunnel and station construction.
The new infrastructure had to be integrated with Auckland’s existing operational railway, requiring extensive coordination across track, signalling, traction power, telecommunications, station systems, fire and life safety systems, rolling stock and operational control.
Ahead of passenger opening, approximately 16,000 individual tests were undertaken across the CRL as part of the testing, commissioning and operational-readiness programme.
The wider rail network also required upgrades to support the new operating pattern and increased train frequencies, alongside staff training, timetable changes and updates to passenger information systems.
Designed for Future Rail Growth
The CRL infrastructure also provides for future operation of longer nine-car electric trains, helping create additional capacity as Auckland’s rail demand grows.
With trains now able to travel through the city rather than terminate at Waitematā, the project is expected to improve network capacity while making central Auckland accessible from more parts of the metropolitan rail system.
The project reached practical completion at the end of June 2026, when City Rail Link Limited handed the completed stations and tunnel infrastructure to Auckland Transport and KiwiRail as owners and operators.
A Major Milestone for New Zealand Rail
Passenger services commenced on Sunday, 13 September 2026, following years of planning, engineering, construction, systems integration, testing and operational preparation.
The City Rail Link represents a major milestone not only for Auckland but for New Zealand’s railway sector.
By converting Auckland’s city-centre railway from a terminating arrangement into a through-running network, the project changes the way the wider metropolitan railway functions and provides infrastructure capable of supporting future increases in rail capacity and connectivity.
For Auckland passengers, the CRL means new stations and new journey opportunities.
For the railway industry, it represents the delivery and integration of one of New Zealand’s most complex transport infrastructure projects.
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