Henderson Station upgrade

We're building a third platform and additional tracks at Henderson Station. This will enable more frequent and reliable train services as part of City Rail Link (CRL).

Construction started in October 2024 and will continue to early 2026.

Works will mostly take place on weekends and holiday periods during scheduled rail network closures. However, from October 2025 through to early 2026 work will continue uninterrupted at Henderson – more information on this is found in the Timeline and construction information section.

Henderson Station changes

We're upgrading train infrastructure to increase the frequency and reliability of services.

We're building a new:

• third platform
• emergency exit bridge at the southern end of the station
• staff facility building.

The new third platform will allow us to turn some trains around at the end of service. We'll keep 2 through-tracks available for trains travelling to and from Swanson. It will also enable new train connections to more places.

We're also improving:

• track layout
• overhead lines
• signalling equipment
• track drainage
• station lifts and escalators.

Lifts and escalators replacement

Henderson Station’s lifts and escalators have now been fully replaced. This started in November 2024 as both the lifts and escalators had reached the end of their life. The new lifts and escalators will be more reliable and robust.

Timeline and construction information

The train infrastructure set-up phase started during Labour Weekend in October 2024. The site was established, and utility and cable ducting installed and relocated.

During the Christmas (2024) and new year (2025) period, the rail network was shut down. At Henderson we started track removal and piling works.

Construction is taking place during weekends and holidays in 2025. This includes:

• Easter
• King’s Birthday
• Matariki
• July (28 June to 13 July) and September (20 September to 5 October) school holidays.

From 27 October 2025 to early January 2026 work will continue uninterrupted at Henderson. During this time, trains will only run on one of the 2 rail lines at Henderson (what we call ‘single line running').

This allows upgrades to continue on one section of the station, while trains continue to serve passengers on a single line.

There will be changes to services during this time, and these will be communicated on the Train line status page and Journey Planner closer to the time.

Running trains on a single track will impact both train passengers and others travelling around West Auckland. People will need to pay particular attention at level crossings to watch for trains that can come from either direction.

Information for businesses and residents

Throughout construction, AT and KiwiRail will:

• give station users notice of any disruptions and information on how to navigate the station during construction
• keep the construction site and surrounding area tidy, safe, accessible and easy to navigate
• inform affected businesses, residents and property owners about the progress and impacts of the construction
• respond to community feedback quickly
• minimise disruption to normal services, such as rubbish removal and loading and servicing.

We'll work with local businesses to stage the work so that it considers other projects that are:

• currently underway
• due to be started during the construction period.

Project background

The Henderson Station third platform project is part of a complete rail network upgrade programme.

CRL and the network upgrades will give Aucklanders a better-connected public transport network. Train services will be faster, more frequent and more reliable.

Henderson Station will help make Western Line journeys faster when the CRL and the upgraded rail network open in 2026.

When CRL opens, trains will run every 8 minutes during the peak. Passengers travelling from Henderson will be able to reach the new Te Waihorotiu Station (by the Aotea Centre) in just 35 minutes.

To make these changes, Henderson Station will get a big upgrade. A new platform and extra tracks will give trains more space to stop, turn around, and let people on and off. 

When CRL is built:

• trains will run every 4 to 5 minutes at peak through the central city (up to 16 trains per hour)
• trains will run every 8 minutes at peak on the Western Line
• journeys from Henderson to the new Te Waihorotiu Station in the central city will be 35 minutes (saving 24 minutes on the current journey)
• an additional 50% capacity will be added to the current rail network
• twice as many people will be within 30 minutes of Auckland city centre
• there will be easier connections between more parts of Auckland.