Date: 03 November 2026
It was an innings to remember for Auckland Transport on Friday (October 30) with a new all-time daily rail patronage record set with 108,447 trips taken by train.
The milestone capped off the busiest October on record for rail in Auckland. More than 2.1 million trips were taken across the month as Aucklanders embraced the benefits of the City Rail Link and a packed calendar of major events.
Friday’s record-breaking day was driven by cricket fans heading to Eden Park to watch the Black Caps take on India, alongside strong demand across the wider network.
"A lot of preparation goes on behind the scenes to get Auckland moving for major events, but it's fantastic to see so many people choosing public transport," says Auckland Transport General Manager of Rail Services, Mark Lambert.
“The easier journeys City Rail Link has unlocked means more people have the choice and confidence to use public transport during the day for work, as well as at night and on weekends for big events.”
Nearly half of the people attending the match chose rail to get home after the final wicket, and despite the demand, the maximum wait time was just 25 minutes.
“This is exactly what the City Rail Link was built for,” says Chair of Auckland Council’s Transport Infrastructure and Delivery Committee, Councillor Andy Baker.
“Major events are often the first-time people experience Auckland’s new rail network, so it’s great to see it operating so smoothly under such high demand.
“We’re now able to move more people through the city more efficiently than ever before, and Friday's record patronage shows Aucklanders are embracing the benefits of the new network, whether they're travelling to work, heading home or attending a major event,” says Cr Baker.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) says making it easy for fans to get to and from Eden Park is an important part of the game-day experience and is encouraging spectators to make the most of free travel on buses and trains when the Black Caps and India return for the opening ODI on Wednesday.
"A great match-day experience starts well before the first ball is bowled. We want getting to the ground to be as easy as possible and including public transport with every ticket helps fans avoid the stress of traffic and parking, while making it simple to enjoy an evening of international cricket at Eden Park, and get home safely after the game," says New Zealand Cricket Head of Events, Anthony Bowler.
Busiest October on record for rail
It was a bumper weekend for public transport, with Aucklanders and visitors also travelling across the city for Diwali celebrations, the AUSX Supercross and the Auckland Marathon.
Combined with continued growth in everyday rail travel following the opening of the City Rail Link, the strong event attendance helped drive Auckland rail to its best October on record, with provisional patronage reaching 2.129 million trips for the month. That's 67.5 per cent higher than October 2025 and 13.3 per cent higher than the previous October record set in 2019.
October 2026 was also the second-highest month for rail patronage on record, sitting just behind May 2019 by less than one per cent.
The month featured a number of exceptionally busy days, including almost 90,000 rail trips on the day of the All Blacks v Australia Bledisloe Cup match at Eden Park. Even outside major events, rail demand remained consistently strong, with several weekdays attracting more than 82,000 trips.
Meanwhile, rail punctuality continues to remain high at 95.4 per cent throughout October.
“More Aucklanders are choosing public transport because they can see the benefits of a rail network that is reliable, frequent and easy to use,” says Mark Lambert.
“The combination of record rail patronage and continued strong bus use is incredibly encouraging. As we head into summer and introduce more services, we're excited to give people even more opportunities to leave the car at home and choose public transport.”
Auckland’s busiest rail days on record: