Woodward Road rail level crossing
We’re making plans to replace western rail level crossings with safer connections.
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Project details
Start date
March 2026End date
TBCLocation
Mt AlbertTransport involved
Walking, driving and cyclingOverview
To find safer, smoother ways to keep you moving as the city grows and more trains are needed, we’re planning for the future of the Woodward Road rail crossing.
It is part of the Western Rail Crossings Programme, to allow more frequent trains while keeping traffic moving, improving safety and supporting urban development.
Woodward Road is a busy crossing that connects key routes and serves growing development. Its proximity to major intersections, high traffic volumes, and future growth pressures make safety and congestion issues particularly challenging to address.
Woodward Road serves local traffic, traffic accessing the SH16 motorway and provides access to Unitech Te Pukanaga housing development.
Latest updates
We are investigating options to replace the Woodward Road rail level crossing.
Learn more about the options being considered and provide your feedback through our online survey or in-person at a community event.
Feedback is open until Tuesday 28 September 2026.
The options we are considering for replacing the rail crossing
Option A: Road bridge at Woodward Road for people and vehicles
Because of gradient and level differences, New North Road would need to be raised or the rail line lowered. Both of these options will cause disruption in the local area. This is likely to be more expensive than a pedestrian bridge option.
- Raising New North Road will require the crossing to be closed during construction, adding traffic on to busy alternative routes. An estimated construction timeframe of 3 to 5 years.
- Partial lowering of the rail line will disrupt rail services and require temporary rail tracks to keep trains running during construction. Estimated construction timeframe of 3 to 5 years.
Options with more significant trade-offs to consider
Option B: Pedestrian bridge at Woodward Road (no vehicle crossing)
- Traffic will need to use alternative routes to cross the rail line which will add traffic to already busy surrounding roads.
- Estimated construction timeframe of 12 to 18 months.
- Likely to be the cheapest option.
Options that we investigated and decided not to progress
Full closure
Why we will not progress with this option: Loss of connectivity, network effects from rerouting traffic.
Road underpass
Why we will not progress with this option: Topography means this is not feasible.
Rail underpass or overbridge
Why we will not progress with this option: Much higher cost and disruption due to nearby rail infrastructure and operational requirements. Poor value for money.
Timeline
Investment case
During the next two years, we’ll identify the preferred approach to replace western rail level crossings with safer connections, and how to prioritise when they’re built. This is key to developing an investment case to seek funding for future phases.
This stage includes:
- Technical assessments: such as traffic and pedestrian counts, safety audits, ground investigations, environmental and flood analysis, and urban design studies. We’ll consider past trends, current conditions and future needs.
- Community input: we’ll engage mana whenua, local boards, elected members, schools, businesses and communities to understand how crossings are used today and what’s needed for the future.
We’ll share what we find to support discussions about potential options, including key constraints and trade-offs. Community feedback will help shape the preferred approach for each crossing.
Statutory approvals
After an approved investment case, the next step will be to seek funding for statutory approvals. These are needed to consent or protect the land required for a future crossing.
Protecting land now means that projects can be constructed in stages as funding is available.
It also provides property owners, businesses and the community with certainty on where transport routes will be in the future. This can help people make informed decisions about their own land and the development of that land.
During this phase, we will:
- Engage one-to-one with directly affected landowners.
- Continue working with elected members, mana whenua and stakeholders.
Detailed design and construction
Designs will continue to be refined through targeted engagement in this phase.
Construction will be staged according to network needs. While we expect to start replacing some rail crossings in the Inner West from early to mid-2030s, timeframes are dependent on funding.
During this phase, we will:
- Engage one-to-one with directly affected landowners.
- Continue working with elected members, mana whenua, and key stakeholders.
- Communicate clearly with communities about construction timing, disruption, and how we'll manage the impacts of construction.
Give feedback
Dear Jane
- Saturday 5 September, 9am to 11am
- 39 Martin Avenue, Mt Albert
Crave Cafe
- Tuesday 8 September, 8am to 10am
- 6 Morningside Drive, Morningside
Urbanaut
- Sunday 27 September, 12 to 2pm
- 597 New North Road, Kingsland
Project background
The next 20 to 30 years will see more people living, working and studying close to the rail corridor, especially train stations. That means more people taking trains, walking and cycling to stations and more activity around the rail corridor.
Replacing rail crossings with safer connections is key to unlocking the full City Rail Link benefits of allowing even more trains to run in the future while making it safer and easier to get around your local area. It also supports urban development.
If we don’t replace level crossings people may take more risks as barrier arms are down more often and there will be increased congestion, impacting the economy.
From March 2026, we engaged with our partners, stakeholders, businesses and local communities. We shared information about the Rail Level Crossings Programme and heard initial feedback. Groups we talked to included:
- local government representatives, like local boards and councillors
- mana whenua representatives
- transport advocacy organisations
- community stakeholders, like schools and business associations
- residents and commuters, who regularly use rail crossings.
What we've heard from the community
We received 293 survey responses for Woodward Road.
There was strong support for a bridge or underpass to separate road and rail (grade-separation).
This is an important and well-used route, but congestion, complex layout, and safety concerns, especially near intersections, create ongoing issues.
We heard that:
- it is a key local route with high reliance for everyday travel
- it is a tight layout with nearby traffic lights makes it difficult to use
- it is challenging for people walking and cycling, with limited space
- there are safety concerns due to driver’s behaviour and complex movements
- the low-traffic neighbourhood idea is not widely supported.
The crossing carries high volumes of through traffic, meaning any disruption or diversion can have wider impacts on surrounding roads, particularly New North Road and Carrington Road, which are important connections.
Traffic numbers are expected to experience increase as nearby development progresses which will place extra pressure on the crossing and surrounding road network in the future.
Changes to the vertical levels of the rail corridor at this location could affect nearby stations and future rail connections.