Auckland rail journeys jump 59% after City Rail Link opens

Daily train trips in Auckland rose 59% in the first two weeks after the City Rail Link opened, compared with the preceding fortnight, according to provisional Auckland Transport data.

More than one million train boardings were recorded across the New Zealand city’s rail network during those opening weeks. Each week surpassed the previous weekly record, set in March 2019.

The new link opened on 13 September, adding two city-centre stations, Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape, and turning Waitematā from a dead end into a station trains can pass through. The changes allow faster journeys and more direct connections across the city.

Western Auckland has seen some of the strongest growth. Figures released by the government and Auckland Council show about 7,600 additional daily trips between western stations and the city centre, compared with the daily average during the six weeks before opening. Nearly 6,000 trips a day are also being made between city-centre stations themselves.

The increase extends beyond rail: total trips across Auckland’s buses, ferries and trains rose 16% compared with the two weeks before opening. Two weeks of provisional figures cannot establish a lasting trend, but they offer an encouraging early sign that people are making use of the new connections.