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Britomart Station Britomart Station

Waitematā Station (Britomart) is currently the city centre terminus of AT's train services. Construction is underway to connect the station to the new City Rail Link tunnels.

Project Status: Under Construction

Project Zone: Central

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Background

Since 2015, construction on the new City Rail Link has been taking place in or around Waitematā Station (Britomart). This includes building tunnels underneath the Chief Post Office, the main entrance to the station, and along Albert Street. 

The work in the Chief Post Office was completed in early 2021, and we welcomed customers back inside the building for the first time in four years.

There is still more work that needs to be done to future proof Waitematā Station (Britomart). That way, it will be ready for the increased number of travellers arriving at this station once the City Rail Link is complete.

Project summary

Waitematā Station (Britomart) is currently a terminating station. This means that trains arriving from around Auckland stop at the station and must return the way they came from. This can create delays or disruptions if one train is late or if there is a failure of any sort. 

From now until 2024, City Rail Link and their contractors will be making changes to the track and platform layout to convert Waitematā Station into a two-way through station. 

The two outside platforms at Waitematā Station (currently known as Platforms 1 and 5) need to be connected to the City Rail Link tunnels that now sit underneath the Chief Post Office. The number of platforms inside the station will also reduce from five to four. Two of these will connect to the new tunnels, while the other two will still terminate at Waitematā Station. 

Inside Britomart Tunnel, which connects the station to ground level, the track layout will need to be reconfigured and the platforms extended. There will also be construction to move underground equipment rooms that keep the station operating. 

Once this work is complete, we'll be able to operate faster and more frequent services - up to 24 trains per hour - when the City Rail Link opens. This will give Aucklanders more options for travelling through our city by train.  

A photograph of roadworks taking place under Britomart Station. A construction crew wearing orange safety vests are visible working on two sets of tracks. Machines can be seen.

Disruption during construction

Construction works carried out by City Rail Link and their contractors are mostly limited to existing underground rail infrastructure. This means that their impact on project neighbours is mostly limited to discrete locations.

We expect some above-ground work to impact project neighbours. This includes the enabling works for the relocation and realignment of the tunnel wall, which will take place inside a discrete footprint within the eastern footpath of Britomart Place.

Find out more about the construction works on the City Rail Link website.

Platform changes at Waitematā Station (Britomart) from 20 March 2023 

Platform changes scheduled to take place from Monday 20 March have been postponed. A new date is yet to be determined and will be updated once confirmed.

Onehunga Line services return to Britomart from 20 March.

These changes will be in place until further notice. They were made to allow work to be made to the station to get it ready for the opening of the City Rail Link.