Transport interchange and rail development Transport interchange and rail development
New Lynn’s award-winning Transport Interchange and a number of upgrades and new developments around the railway station have transformed the transport centre.
The new Transport Interchange was opened on 19 September, 2010 by the then-Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Anand Satyanand.
The state-of-the-art building includes a street-level concourse with a waiting room, toilets and ticket office, with covered access down to the platforms by lifts, escalators and stairs. The station also includes a number of distinctive works by well-known Auckland artists.
The integrated bus and train transport interchange allows for better pedestrian and traffic flow around the rail network and more frequent and reliable passenger services.
The rail trench
The trench enabled the building of New Lynn’s transport interchange and a new integrated roading network around it. It also provided the catalyst for New Lynn’s urban redevelopment and is encouraging new private development to complement it.The New Lynn rail trench and station platform were opened on 1 March 2010. Measuring about one kilometre long (from Portage Road to Titirangi Road) and up to eight metres deep, the trench enabled the separation of road and rail in New Lynn, eliminating two level crossings to relieve major traffic congestion and improve public safety.
At the opening event, KiwiRail chairman Jim Bolger said previously the rail tracks had been like a “Berlin Wall” cutting through the heart of New Lynn.
“The long-term benefits of this upgrade will be critically important to the future development of New Lynn,” he said. “Rejuvenation of the Auckland urban rail network is absolutely vital to help meet the economic and environmental challenges of the future and nowhere is this more pertinent than in New Lynn.”
Double-tracking of the Western Line
The final stretch of track was laid in New Lynn, enabling trains to travel on continuous double track between Swanson and Britomart and allowing for Sunday rail services to be extended to Henderson.Double-tracking of the Western Line was completed in June 2010 – a major milestone in a $600-million upgrade of Auckland’s rail network.
The progressive duplication of the line allowed ongoing improvements to service frequency and reliability, and represented a huge step forward in the development of a modern and sustainable passenger transport network for Auckland.