An earlier version of this article wrongly stated Auckland Transport was responsible for the train network shutdown for maintenance work. The closure is being undertaken by KiwiRail for a network upgrade.
Auckland train services have shut down for a network upgrade during school holidays.
KiwiRail’s two-week closure has led to increased road congestion and lengthy bus replacement journeys.
Critics argue the disruption harms productivity and damages the city’s reputation.
Auckland’s transport network takes a lot of flak.
Controversial bike lanes, parking charges, costly pedestrian crossings,never-ending road works – you name it. It’s a thankless task.
But the real critics are beleaguered, everyday Aucklanders who are forced to rely on the city’s woeful public transport services to get to and from work.
I get it. Operating a complex network of trains and buses ferrying armies of angry Jafas to their respective haunts is no mean feat.
It’s an exercise in military-like precision that takes cutting-edge technology backed by an array of highly-trained experts handpicked for their unique skills and capabilities.
Why, then, would the gifted individuals at KiwiRail deem it wise to can the entire network of Auckland trains for the duration of the April school holidays?
The argument proffered by KiwiRail brass is that essential network upgrade work is needed in preparation for the long-awaited City Rail Link.
The two-week hiatus is among a catalogue of train service cancellations and disruptions forecast for the year ahead to enable the CRL and improve the city’s train network.
Heavy traffic on Auckland's motorway network. Photo / Dean Purcell
In 2026, transport bosses promise to “bring back more frequent and reliable trains”.
But where do they think Auckland’s loyal train commuters have disappeared to en masse these holidays?
Do they think we all have Pacific island bolt holes to which we flee during the school recess? Do they assume we are all jet-setting to Europe to take in the Seine River and Mediterranean coast?
What alternate realities are our comrades in KiwiRail’s head office inhabiting while the great proletariat get on with real life?
And so it was that I headed to the Herald’s CBD office this week from the forested slopes of Titirangi in the city’s west.
Generally, I take the train, but on Monday, I opted for the car.
On a good day – off-peak with no traffic – it’s 20 minutes in my beat-up Suzuki Swift door-to-door. But day one of the holidays – usually a congestion-free breeze – was a very different story.
It was clear as I drove down Titirangi Rd at 7am that half the city had ditched public transport and jumped behind the wheel.
Roadsusually reasonably free-flowing at thattime of the morning were jammed with cars.
Auckland is supposed to be a first world city and international destination.
Great North Rd was a shambles. The Northwestern was a complete balls-up. Punters who would normally take the train had clearly ditched their Hop cards and instead climbed behind the wheel.
With my residual Scorpio short fuse, I arrived at work thoroughly pissed off and cursing the boffins who had cancelled the city’s trains.
However, a glorious morning dawned the next day, and I rose with renewed optimism and faith in our city leaders. Today, I would try the rail replacement bus. How bad could it be?
If a 40-minute return trip by car is the off-peak benchmark, three-and-a-half torturous hours by rush-hour bus was a swift kick to the groin.
The morning commute was slow, but the evening crawl home was even worse. What would usually be a 38-minute one-way train trip turned into a 1 hour, 45 minute journey into hell.
I don’t blame the bus driver. Thrown to the wolves, she was endearing in the face of a hostile mob.
But I do blame transport execs for subjecting Auckland commuters to a third-world service in what is supposed to be a first-world international destination.
I can only guess how much worse things will get today and tomorrow as the great storm bears down on our fair city.
I, along with thousands of others, won’t be braving public transport again for the next two weeks. I’ll be adding to the congestion of Auckland’s already choked roads.
If officials are serious about getting people onto buses and trains, they needs to stop scoring own goals.
The train network is an essential transport link for the city. Cutting it off has real-world ramifications for Aucklanders, not to mention for productivity and the city’s reputation.
Auckland Transport says it is working in partnership with the Government and KiwiRail to ensure the rail network is upgraded in time for the opening of the CRL in 2026.
“We recognise this creates disruption and inconvenience for our customers, which is why we have worked hard to schedule the closures at the least disruptive times possible.
“We would obviously prefer not to close the rail network but this work has to happen to enable us to deliver the improvements for Aucklanders that government and council have invested in.”
Lane Nichols is Auckland desk editor and a senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
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