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RNZ News

Auckland rail disruptions expected until Christmas, KiwiRail admits

Many rail services are being replaced by buses. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Aucklanders can expect rail closures and disruptions up until Christmas, KiwiRail admits, as final preparations are made for the City Rail Link. The Southern Line will be closed between Otahuhu and Pukekohe from 28 June to 13 July, many services replaced by buses. "We will have trains running on the other lines during the break, other than for a couple of days just before the end," KiwiRail's chief capital planning and asset development officer David Gordon told Morning Report . "Originally we had permission to shut all the lines but we don't need to do that, we just need to do the heavy invasive work on that section of line." He acknowledged the work would be disruptive for many commuters. "A lot of people are going to be affected, there's no doubt about it, and we don't take lightly the decision to do the closures," he said. "It is disruptive for people; they don't want to get on a bus, they want to get on a train. We wouldn't be doing this unless it was regarded by us and by parties on all sides in terms of funding and support [to be] necessary to do the type of work we're doing, which realistically should have been done over the past twenty years." Though there was light at the end of the tunnel, Gordon admitted this wouldn't be the last of the disruption in 2025. "This isn't it, but we're getting close to 'it'. Our objective is to have this scale of disruption totally over and done with by the end of Christmas," he promised. "Thereafter there will be shuts, etcetera, associated with testing City Rail Link but the scale of work we're doing [now] comes to an end before we open City Rail Link." He said the work being done was exhaustive. "The type of work we're doing at the moment should future-proof in those areas for 50 to 100 years. "We're digging right down to the foundations and some places we're having to dig out, swamps and stuff like that, we're doing about six metres deep," he said. "Of course rail will wear out on the top, but that's relatively easily fixed over a very short period. What we're doing is essentially digging up the foundations." That led to some unexpected discoveries, Gordon said. "We've found our fair share of gremlins. You never quite know what you're getting into when you dig these things out," he said. "But part of the reason why we've been so successful is you have to react, you have to have good people working for you, and you have to deal with what you find." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.