CRL timetable testing signals what’s coming CRL timetable testing signals what’s coming
Date: 22 October 2025
Testing of high-frequency train services has provided a glimpse into the future new City Rail Link (CRL) timetable, with trains venturing out of the tunnels and around the inner city “loop” for the first time to simulate the services people can expect from their new train network when the CRL opens in 2026.
“This testing was a great milestone. We learned more about how the CRL will function in our network, and we found things we need to adjust, but no big hurdles. We can now tweak the timetable before the next round of testing,” says Mark Lambert Auckland Transport Group Manager Rail Services.
Thirty-five drivers were involved in the testing, driving a combined total of 290 hours on the morning of 18th and 19th of October. It’s the first of several network and frequency tests for CRL, which will culminate in tests of the entire new rail timetable, operating across the whole Auckland metro network next year.
“It takes a lot of planning to carry out this sort of testing, with hundreds of people involved in the preparation and on the day across CRL Ltd, KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and its network operator Auckland One Rail,” says City Rail Link Ltd Chief Executive, Pat Brockie.
“We want to thank everyone for their hard work – from the timekeepers to incident controllers, the drivers, and operation and test management teams.”
During the testing, trains ran at a frequency of 18 trains per hour in both directions through the CRL tunnels and stations. The testing extended around a loop to Grafton, Parnell and Newmarket and along the Western Line as far as Kingsland.
It’s a key step towards ensuring the CRL can perform as designed, and that Auckland Transport can operate the new train timetable with more trains, more often across Auckland.
“Eighteen trains per hour, per direction, is more than we’ll be running when CRL opens, but we need to make sure we test at maximum capacity,” says Mark Lambert.
"It’s all about safety and reliability. The trains simulated a normal journey, stopping at all inner-city stations so we could check they stopped in the right places, that they were stationary for the right amount of time, and that there was a safe distance between trains as they trialled the higher frequency.”
The testing was also extremely valuable for the drivers involved who for the first time experienced closely following other trains through the CRL tunnels, responding to sequences from the signals.
During the testing, trains ran nearly 400 times through the new tunnels, clocking up 2500km over the entire route.
“Running three minutes apart, the trains were being driven closer together than drivers are used to, and a big part of this weekend was to check that this could be achieved consistently,” says Lambert.
When the CRL opens next year, Auckland’s rail network will shift into high gear, with trains running every 4–5 minutes in the city centre during peak times, and increased frequency right across the rest of the network too.
About 90% of all trains services in Auckland will pass through the CRL on their journey connecting East, South and West directly to the city centre.
KiwiRail City Rail Link Programme Director Bevan Assink says “KiwiRail was excited to work with our partners on this key milestone event providing train and overhead line control services and test monitoring via our rail and digital systems. We also had rapid response staff at key metro locations ready to restore the network if anything was required – happily the testing went very well!”
Another round of timetable testing is planned for the end of November.
“This isn’t a one-and-done situation – testing the timetable in real life throws up lots of variables that often can’t be seen from our modelling. Repeated testing allows us to explore those issues and make adjustments as we go. It’s important to find this out now, so we can ensure smooth reliable journeys on day one,” says Lambert.
“With that in mind, we want to thank customers for their continued patience. We really do understand that line closures and disruptions are frustrating no matter how important the work is. Thank you for bearing with us - we want to make sure we get this right so we can provide better journeys when CRL opens in 2026.”
Notes to the editor:
- The City Rail Link is the largest and most complex public transport infrastructure project ever undertaken in New Zealand and the first passenger service built underground – there are thousands of tests needed to be undertaken to gain regulatory approvals and to ensure Aucklanders will be riding on a world class railway that is safe and reliable.
- Large-scale testing of this nature can’t be carried out at night as it relies on a coordinated team - train drivers, operations centre staff, and support crews - many of whom work daily across the network running Auckland's passenger service. It requires full coverage and rapid response - something only possible during daytime hours to ensure safety, readiness, and effective risk management.
- The testing was carried out between 5am and midday on Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 October 2025.
- During this time rail replacement buses were available with some full line closures and reduced services across the network.
- The next round of CRL timetable testing is scheduled for Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 of November 2025.