Rugby cup could give redundant Strand station a new lease of life

The old Strand railway station, which was the terminal stop for commuter trains before being replaced by Britomart in 2003, may be resurrected for next year's Rugby World Cup.

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority is considering whether to upgrade the dilapidated station beneath Parnell Rise for emergency use.

The station still has several platforms although most of its rail connections have been ripped up.

Communications manager Sharon Hunter said the authority was investigating upgrading two of the platforms to enable them to operate "as an emergency back-up station for Britomart" in time for the rugby extravaganza.

The study was being undertaken with plans the authority was developing for "stabling" trains in the vicinity.

Ms Hunter said the work would involve reviewing the adequacy of existing shelters left at the Strand station and their possible removal, as well as what it would take to level out and raise platforms to a standard height for passenger trains.

Installation of surveillance camera and public address equipment was also being considered.

She denied that the study meant the authority lacked confidence in Britomart's ability to cope with extra crowds arriving for the cup.

But she confirmed that the Strand station was being considered as a potential back-up in case of extraordinary incidents such as bomb scares at Britomart, which handles about 20,000 passengers on an average week-day.

The Strand station is about 900m east of Britomart, as what remains of Auckland's old central railway station, which served passengers for about 70 years before being closed and having its main building turned into student apartments.

It still has a rail connection between the southern and eastern lines along its main platform, which is about 200m long and is covered with a continuous veranda.

It also has ample carparking space, now under lease to the Tournament Parking company.

But rail and land connections to three other shorter platform structures have been severed.

Ms Hunter said the investigation was in its early stages, although the transport authority was consulting interested parties "on the footprint for this".

The Strand station is still used occasionally for railway charters, but Campaign for Better Transport spokesman Jon Reeves said yesterday that it would make sense to bring it up to scratch for more permanent use such as a terminal for cruise ship passengers wanting to explore the region by rail.