The South City line
The South City line (S-C) travels from Pukekohe to Newmarket via a loop around the city centre. It passes through:
- Newmarket
- Grafton
- Karanga-a-Hape
- Te Waihorotiu
- Waitematā
- Parnell
- Newmarket.
Newmarket is the end of the line. It then turns around and goes back through the city centre, passing through Waitematā, Te Waihorotiu, Karanga-a-Hape and Grafton before continuing south to Pukekohe.
This means that from Newmarket Station, the South City line travels in two directions:
- through Grafton to loop around the city, ending in Newmarket again
- through Parnell to loop around the city, passing Newmarket again before continuing to Pukekohe.
Check the destination on the front of the train and on digital screens on the platform before boarding to ensure you’re travelling on the right service.
During peak hours some trains will finish their journey at Waitematā Station.
Trains run every 15 minutes off-peak. During peak hours trains run every 10 minutes on average. Peak hours are 7am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm.
Transfers on the South City line
There are multiple stations where you can transfer to other rail lines or bus routes on our network.
You can transfer to the East West line at several stations including:
- Puhinui
- Ōtāhuhu
- Waitematā
- Te Waihorotiu
- Karanga-a-Hape.
You can transfer to the Onehunga West line at several stations including:
- Penrose
- Ellerslie
- Newmarket
- Grafton.
To get to Auckland Airport, transfer to the Airport Link bus at Puhinui Station.
Travel to major events
Reaching destinations like Go Media Stadium, Spark Arena and Eden Park is easier and faster than ever.
On the South City line, you can:
- go directly to Penrose Station for events at Go Media Stadium
- go directly to Waitematā Station for events at Spark Arena
- transfer to the East-West line at Waitematā, Te Waihorotiu or Karanga-a-Hape stations and get off at Kingsland Station for events at Eden Park.
Getting home after events is easy, with high-capacity trains running from major venues to key destinations.
Alternative transport when trains are not running
From time to time, train lines or stations may be closed for maintenance, or trains may be stopped due to an incident or emergency.
When trains aren’t running, alternative transport will be available. This includes:
- Another rail service that will take you to or close to your destination. This may include detoured trains. For example, if there is an issue at Te Waihorotiu station, the South City line might detour at Newmarket and travel through Parnell to allow customers to still get to Waitematā.
- Special bus replacement services that will connect between main transport hubs, such as Swanson to Maungawhau stations. Rail buses may take you to a nearby station to transfer to another train, so you can get to your destination faster, rather than running the entire length of the train line.
- Regular scheduled bus services that travel where you need to go.
There are signs at all train stations showing where you can catch replacement services and regular scheduled buses and where they travel to.
Get notified when things change
If there's a change to your service, we can let you know via the AT Mobile app. We'll send alerts to let you know what's happening and what you can do next.
Sign up to Service Alerts for your train line in the AT Mobile app.
You can also call us on 09 366 6400 any time and our friendly customer care team will help you find the nearest available transport options.