Onehunga Line

Last updated

Onehunga Line
 ONE 
EMU at Onehunga, April 2014.jpg
Onehunga Line train at Onehunga
Overview
Owner KiwiRail (tracks and platforms), Auckland Transport (trains and buildings)
Locale Auckland
Termini
Connecting lines Southern Line
Western Line
Stations5
7 (evenings and weekends)
Service
Type Commuter Rail
System AT Trains
Operator(s) Auckland One Rail
Rolling stock AM class
Technical
Line length12.61 km (7.84 mi)
Number of tracks2 (Newmarket – Penrose)
1 (Penrose – Onehunga)
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead
Route map

Contents

km
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0
Newmarket
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Remuera Road
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1.1
Remuera
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Market Road
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Omahu Road
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Green Lane
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2.5
Greenlane
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Mitchelson Street
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Walpole Street
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Main Highway
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3.9
Ellerslie
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Ellerslie-Panmure Highway
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BSicon vBHF.svg
5.4
Penrose
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O'Rorke Road
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Maurice Road
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Mays Road
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7.45
Te Papapa
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Captain Springs Road
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Church Street
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Alfred Street
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Victoria Street
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Galway Street
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8.82
Onehunga
km
Onehunga Line
Map

The Onehunga Line in Auckland, New Zealand, is the name given to suburban train services that operate between Newmarket and Onehunga.

Routing

From Newmarket, Onehunga Line services follow the North Auckland Line (NAL) to Penrose, where they diverge from the NAL and follow the Onehunga Branch line to Onehunga.

History

The line did not acquire its name until 2010, when the Onehunga Branch line was reopened and passenger services resumed from the Auckland terminus after a lapse of almost 40 years.

The Penrose to Onehunga section of this line was opened on 24 December 1873, [1] and extended to Onehunga Wharf on 28 November 1878. Connecting the port of Onehunga on the Manukau Harbour with Penrose and from there to the port of Auckland on the Waitematā Harbour, the line became a busy link between the two harbours of the rapidly expanding city.

Passenger services between Auckland and Onehunga ran until April 1973. The Onehunga Branch line between Penrose and Onehunga then served local industries until it was mothballed. A campaign to reopen the branch line was launched in mid-2002. On 13 March 2007, the Government announced that it had given approval to spend $10 million on reopening the branch line for passengers and freight.

In mid-2010, construction started on the terminus station at Onehunga, [2] and on Saturday 18 September 2010, reopening ceremonies were held, with Sunday 19 September being the first day of normal passenger services. The cost of reopening the branch line was about $21.6 million, with KiwiRail contributing $10 million, Auckland Regional Transport Authority contributing $3.6 million, and Auckland Regional Council contributing $8 million. [3]

The Onehunga Line was upgraded as part of the Auckland railway electrification programme. It was the first of the four Auckland suburban lines to be commissioned. [4] Installation of overhead wires was completed during the summer shut down from 2011 to 2012. Electric services began running between Waitematā and Onehunga on 28 April 2014. [5]

On 24 June 2022, the line was shortened to terminate at Newmarket due to a reduction of platforms at Waitematā for City Rail Link construction. [6] Auckland Transport said data showed only 15% of passengers on the line travelled to Waitematā and that they could easily transfer to other services at Newmarket, thus the change would be the least disruptive of those needed to allow the reduction in platforms. [7] Former Auckland councillor Mike Lee - who had an instrumental role in the 2010 reopening of the line - criticised the change. [8] During Stage 2 of the Rail Network Rebuild between March 2023 and January 2024, the line was restored to Waitematā during off-peak and weekends, running as a shuttle between Penrose and Onehunga during peak hours. [9] [10] As of 29 April 2024, Onehunga Line train services were again shortened to terminate at Newmarket at all times of the day. [11]

Stations

Stations on the Onehunga Line
Distance from WaitematāNameOpenedNotes
3.84 km (2.39 mi) Newmarket 20 December 1873 [12] Terminus from 29 April 2024.
4.91 km (3.05 mi) Remuera 20 December 1873 [12] Evenings and weekends only (effective from 26 August 2018).
6.38 km (3.96 mi) Greenlane 20 December 1873 [12] Evenings and weekends only (effective from 26 August 2018).
7.75 km (4.82 mi) Ellerslie 20 December 1873 [12]
9.2 km (5.72 mi) Penrose 24 December 1873 [12]
11.15 km (6.93 mi) Te Papapa 8 April 1877 [12] Closed on 19 February 1973 [12] and reopened on 18 September 2010. [13] Services recommenced on 19 September 2010. [13]
12.52 km (7.78 mi) Onehunga 20 December 1873 [12] Closed on 19 February 1973 [12] and reopened on 18 September 2010. [13] Services recommenced on 19 September 2010. [13]

Proposed airport connection

There is a proposal to create the Auckland Airport Line by extending the Onehunga Branch line to Auckland International Airport over the Mangere Bridge. The bridge was duplicated from four motorway lanes to ten in 2007–10, and Transit New Zealand had announced in 2007 that it was being 'future proofed' to allow it to accommodate a rail line. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waitematā railway station</span> Multimodal transit station in New Zealand

Waitematā railway station, formerly known as Britomart Transport Centre, is the public transport hub in the central business district of Auckland and the northern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk railway line. It combines a railway station in a former Edwardian post office, extended with expansive modernist architectural elements, with a bus interchange. It is at the foot of Queen Street, the main commercial thoroughfare of the CBD, with the main ferry terminal just across Quay Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newmarket railway station, Auckland</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Newmarket railway station is a station in the inner-city suburb of Newmarket in Auckland, New Zealand. It serves the Southern, Onehunga and Western Lines of the Auckland railway network, and is the second-busiest station in Auckland, after Waitematā.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remuera railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Remuera railway station is a station serving the suburb of Remuera in Auckland, New Zealand. It is served by the Southern Line and the Onehunga Line, and consists of an island platform which is accessed by a ramp from the Market Road SH1 motorway overbridge. The station was opened in 1873 and is one of the oldest remaining island platform stations in New Zealand. It includes a weatherboard and tile station building, typical of those designed by George Troup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellerslie railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Ellerslie railway station serves the Southern and Onehunga Lines of the Auckland railway network in New Zealand. It was opened in 1873. It has an island platform and is 1.37 km (0.85 mi) south of Greenlane and 1.45 km (0.90 mi) north of Penrose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penrose railway station, Auckland</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Penrose railway station is a station at Penrose, Auckland, on the Southern Line and Onehunga Line of the Auckland railway network, New Zealand. It is equipped with an island platform reached by pedestrian bridges from Great South Road and Station Road, and a side platform on Station Road.

Transdev Auckland, formerly Veolia Transport Auckland, and Connex Auckland was a subsidiary of Transdev Australasia that ran Auckland's urban passenger trains under contract from Auckland Transport on infrastructure owned and managed by KiwiRail. Auckland Transport receives funding to subsidise these services from the NZ Transport Agency, which receives funding from road user taxes and Crown appropriations, and from the Auckland Council through rates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Auckland Line</span> Railway line in New Zealand

The North Auckland Line is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, westward to Waitakere; from there, northward to Otiria via Whangārei. The first section was opened in 1868 and the line was completed in 1925. The line, or sections of it, have been known at various times as the Kaipara Line, the Waikato-Kaipara Line, the Kaipara Branch and the North Auckland Main Trunk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puhinui railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newmarket Line</span> Rail line in Auckland, New Zealand

The Newmarket Line is a railway line in Auckland, New Zealand, that runs between Quay Park Junction, near Waitematā railway station, and Newmarket Train Station. It is 2.64 km long. It connects the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT), which runs from the east into Waitematā via the waterfront, and the North Auckland Line (NAL), which runs between Westfield Junction and Otiria via Newmarket and Whangārei. It has been named the Newmarket Line since 2011. From 1996 to 2011, it was named the Auckland–Newmarket Line, as it ran from Auckland Railway Station until the station closed in 2003. From 1977 to 1996, it was named the Newmarket Branch Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onehunga Branch</span> Branch line between Penrose and Onehunga in Auckland

The Onehunga Branch railway line is a section of the Onehunga Line in Auckland, New Zealand. It was constructed by the Auckland Provincial Government and opened from Penrose to Onehunga on 24 December 1873, and extended to Onehunga Wharf on 28 November 1878. It is 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) in length and is single-track only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public transport in Auckland</span>

Public transport in Auckland, the largest metropolitan area of New Zealand, consists of three modes: bus, train and ferry. Services are coordinated by Auckland Transport (AT) under the AT and AT Metro brands. Waitematā railway station is the city's main transport hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Line (Auckland)</span> Railway service in Auckland, New Zealand

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Line (Auckland)</span> Railway service in Auckland, New Zealand

The Western Line in Auckland, New Zealand, is the name given to suburban rail services that operate between Waitematā and Swanson via Newmarket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manukau Branch</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auckland railway electrification</span> Infrastructure development

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Rail Link</span> Rail project in New Zealand

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References

  1. "OPENING OF THE ONEHUNGA RAILWAY. (New Zealand Herald, 1873-12-22)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. National Library of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  2. Dearnaley, Mathew (21 April 2010). "Work starts at new Onehunga rail station". The New Zealand Herald . Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  3. "Rail link puts fun back into getting to school". The New Zealand Herald . 21 September 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  4. "'Stunning' electric trains launched – but soon face delays". The New Zealand Herald . 28 April 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  5. "Electric trains". Auckland Transport. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  6. "Onehunga Line Changes". Auckland Transport. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  7. Niall, Todd (2 June 2022). "Auckland Rail: Onehunga service to be shortened due to City Rail Link". Stuff. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  8. "Auckland Transport cuts Onehunga train service off at the knees". Newsroom. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  9. "Onehunga Line train timetable (weekdays)" (PDF). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  10. "Onehunga Line train timetable (weekends)" (PDF). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  11. "Onehunga Line train timetable" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand
  13. 1 2 3 4 Powley, Kathryn; Emma Geraghty (19 September 2010). "People turn out to show car not the only way to travel". The New Zealand Herald . Auckland: APN Holdings NZ. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  14. Dearnaley, Mathew (9 February 2007). "Transit opens door to cross-harbour rail link to airport". The New Zealand Herald . Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.