Newmarket | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Auckland Transport Urban rail | |||||||||||||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Newmarket, Auckland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 36°52′11″S174°46′44″E / 36.869626°S 174.778882°E | ||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | KiwiRail (track and platforms) Auckland Transport (buildings) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | North Auckland Line Newmarket Line | ||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | Island platforms, 180m [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | Mainline (2), Other (1) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||
Platform levels | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | No | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | NWT | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | City/Isthmus (overlap) | ||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1873 [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Closed | January 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | January 2008 - 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Electrified | 25 kV AC [3] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Previous names | Newmarket Junction | ||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||
CY 2018 | 2,560,428 [4] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Britomart. [5]
The station was opened in 1873. [6] It was completely rebuilt between 2008 and 2010 and now consists of two island platforms serving three tracks with a concourse above the southern end of the station. [1] The redeveloped station opened on 14 January 2010. [7]
The station was opened in 1873 and in its historical configuration it consisted of a single island, accessed by a ramp from Remuera Road (opposite Nuffield Street) and by a pedestrian overbridge which led to Broadway and Joseph Banks Terrace. The original station building was one of four island platform station buildings in Auckland designed and built by George Troup, [8] Chief Engineer for the New Zealand Railways Department. It was built in 1908, [1] at the time of the installation of double track.
The signal box at the northern end of the platform was built at the same time and was one of the few of that era on its original site and still in operation in the late 20th century, being the last full-sized lever frame box on the national network.
Newmarket was also the site of Newmarket Workshops, which opened in 1878, and closed in 1927, when Otahuhu Workshops opened.
The historical configuration of the station, near Newmarket Junction (the junction of the Western and Southern Lines), forced some unusual movements. Trains from the city had to run past the junction to call at the station, as they do to this day. There were two platforms in an island configuration, and all city-bound trains stopped at one platform, outbound trains stopping at the other. This was confusing as the outward-bound platform served both the Southern and Western Lines. This problem was partially solved by 'splitting' the platform into two: Southern Line trains stopped at the southern end of the platform, Western Line at the northern end. However the platform was short, so that this did not always resolve the confusion.
The above practice became less prevalent following the higher frequency of the July 2007 timetable. From then trains used whichever platform was free, and could arrive without any indication of destination. Off-peak operations usually followed the traditional practice, but during the peak this was not practical. This led to passengers' confusion as to which train ran on which line.
During peak times, Veolia staff were often present with megaphones to inform passengers of train destinations. The signal box was attended 24 hours per day and had control of all trains within the station and Junction.[ citation needed ]
For many years, outbound Western Line trains reversed into a special siding, which allowed them to enter the Western Line. [9] In July 2007, this reversing procedure ceased to be necessary, with the start of rebuilding as part of Project DART. However, once the project stalled, the backshunt process continued even after electrification and the rebuild of the station itself until City Rail Link complete.[ citation needed ]
The fate of the historically and architecturally significant old station building was controversial, with various proposals being put forward to demolish, refurbish, or relocate the building. Following the announcement on 14 March 2007 of the budget for the station's upgrade, [10] Minister of Finance Michael Cullen announced that $5 million would be put towards moving the building, possibly to a proposed new station at Parnell [11] where it would serve as a station for the Auckland War Memorial Museum in the Auckland Domain.
The signal box was closed in early 2008, [12] and it and the station building were removed from the site on 3 March 2008 to an undisclosed storage location, as ONTRACK feared they would be vandalised. [13] The station building was moved to Parnell station in time for the start of services on 12 March 2017 and the official opening of the station on 13 March 2017. [14]
Newmarket station was rebuilt for NZ$35 million between January 2008 and January 2010 as part of ONTRACK's Project DART. [1] [15] It was necessary to close the station for the rebuild and two temporary stations were built: Newmarket South, approximately 200m south on the Southern Line, and Newmarket West (also called Kingdon Street) on the Western Line. [16] Both stations were demolished later. As well as modernising the facilities and appearance, the redevelopment improved connections between the station and the surrounding commercial and residential areas. The station now has a concourse level above the platforms, and entrances from a new square off Broadway, a 65m long covered bridge (capable of carrying emergency vehicles) off Remuera Road, and a pedestrian bridge from Joseph Banks Terrace, from the Remuera side. [1]
The station retains the option of extending the concourse, with pedestrian entry off Broadway further north possible in the future. The current entrance off Broadway may also be widened, with Auckland Council considering demolishing two shops to widen the passage. [1] Some criticism was made at the time of opening about the high step up into trains, which was considered necessary by the designers to allow freight trains to pass the platforms. Authorities noted that this was the same height as at other stations throughout the Auckland system with the exception of Britomart, which does not have freight trains passing. Authorities confirmed the vertical distance to step up to some train carriages would be up to 374 mm, but this would be reduced with the introduction of the new carriages specifically designed for the electrification of the Auckland network. [15]
Integral to the redevelopment was the requirement to reorganise the track layout. The new station has twin islands and three tracks. [11] Each island has two platforms, although currently Platform Two is not in use for passenger services. Generally Platform One serves westbound services on the Western Line. Platform Three serves Britomart bound services on all three lines (Western, Onehunga and Southern), while Platform Four serves southbound services on the Onehunga and Southern Lines. The station cost an estimated NZ$25 million to redevelop (paid for by ARTA), and ONTRACK spent around NZ$45 million to change the layout. The project has been called the most challenging in the whole upgrade of Auckland's railway network. [11]
Western Line trains reverse direction to leave the station, requiring the driver to get out and walk to the other end of the train and adding two to three minutes to each trip. [17] [18]
The main entrance from the concourse opens onto Station Square, a large plaza located on the western side of the station which is linked to Broadway and Remuera Road by a pair of covered passages. There is also a covered bridge connecting the concourse to Remuera Road to the south and a smaller bridge connecting the concourse to Joseph Banks Terrace to the east. There are also proposals for a future northern entrance which would link the concourse to another entrance on Broadway opposite the Olympic Pools. [11]
On 27 April 2014, Auckland's new AM class electric trains were debuted to the general public in a celebratory open day held at Britomart Transport Centre. As part of the day's events, 5000 Aucklanders were able to take a free ride on one of the new trains from Britomart, to Newmarket station and back. [19]
The electric trains officially entered public service on the rail network's Onehunga Line the following day.
The station's lighting design engineer, Opus International Consultants, won three New Zealand IES Lighting design awards in 2010 for the lighting design: an Award of Excellence, Award of Commendation and the Trends People's Choice Award for the innovative LED lantern box design on Remuera Road.
The station and its architects, Opus and Herriot + Melhuish:Architecture, won best building award in the "Urban Design" category in 2011, awarded by the New Zealand Institute of Architects. [5]
Auckland One Rail, on behalf of Auckland Transport, operates suburban services to Britomart, Swanson, Onehunga, Papakura and Pukekohe via Newmarket. The basic inter-peak weekday timetable is: [20] [21] [22]
Bus routes 30, 70, 75, 295, 309, 751, 781, the Inner Link and the Outer Link pass close to Newmarket station. [23]
On 24 June 2022, the Onehunga line was shortened to terminate at Newmarket due to a reduction of platforms at Britomart for City Rail Link construction. [24] Services to Britomart were restored during off-peak and weekends by March 2023. [25] [26]
Waitematā railway station, commonly known as Britomart railway station or 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.
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 motorway overbridge. The station was opened in 1873. It includes a weatherboard and tile station building, typical of those designed by George Troup.
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.
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.
Ōrākei railway station in the Auckland suburb of Remuera is located on the North Island Main Trunk line in New Zealand. Eastern Line services of the Auckland railway network are the only services that regularly stop at the station. It has an island platform layout and can be reached by an overbridge from Ōrākei Road. It is backed by a car-park and a shopping complex.
Ōtāhuhu railway station is located on the Eastern and Southern Lines of the Auckland rail network in New Zealand. It has an island platform configuration and is part of an integrated bus-train major transport hub. It can be reached by steps and lift from an overhead concourse that leads from the adjacent bus transfer station and Walmsley Road.
Homai railway station is on the Southern Line of the Auckland railway network in New Zealand. It has an island platform layout. A bus stop and a park and ride facility are located adjacent to the station.
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.
Sylvia Park railway station is located on the North Island Main Trunk line in New Zealand. Eastern Line services of the Auckland passenger network are the only regular services that stop at the station. It serves Sylvia Park mall and the surrounding suburb of Mount Wellington and has an island platform layout.
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 under the AT Metro brand. Waitematā railway station is the main transport hub.
The Avondale–Southdown Line is a proposed railway line between Avondale and Southdown in Auckland, New Zealand. One of its main functions would be to remove north–south freight trains from parts of the Auckland rail system that have significant passenger traffic.
The Western Line in Auckland, New Zealand is the name given to suburban rail services that operate between Britomart and Swanson via Newmarket.
Auckland railway electrification occurred in phases as part of investment in a new infrastructure for Auckland's urban railway network. Electrification of the network had been proposed for several decades. Installation started in the late 2000s after funds were approved from a combination of regional and central government budgets.
Grafton railway station is a station serving the inner-city suburb of Grafton in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the Western Line of Auckland's passenger rail network and consists of an island platform located in a trench near the intersection of Khyber Pass Road and Park Road. The station opened on 11 April 2010.
Quay Park is a junction on the Auckland railway network in New Zealand. It normally links Britomart with Newmarket station for Western Line, Southern Line, and Onehunga Line services, which use a common set of tracks between Britomart and Newmarket. The Strand station has been closed to suburban train services since the opening of Britomart in 2003 and is now used as the terminus for the Auckland–Wellington Northern Explorer service via the North Island Main Trunk line and for chartered excursions. The junction can be switched in order to use The Strand as a backup for Britomart if required.
The City Rail Link (CRL) is a rail project currently under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. The project consists of a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long double-track rail tunnel underneath Auckland's city centre, between Waitematā (Britomart) and Maungawhau railway stations. Two new underground stations will be constructed to serve the city centre: Te Waihorotiu near Aotea Square and Karanga-a-Hape near Karangahape Road. Waitematā will be converted from a terminus station into a through station, and Mount Eden station will be replaced by Maungawhau station, a new station with four platforms to serve as an interchange between the new CRL line and the existing Western Line.
The Auckland Airport Line was a proposed heavy rail line in Auckland, New Zealand, that would have linked Auckland Airport with the Auckland central business district via central isthmus suburbs.
The Onehunga Line in Auckland, New Zealand is the name given to suburban train services that operate between Waitematā and Onehunga.