ARTA Media Release
5 June 2007

New Tracks, More Services, Greater Reliability

New passenger rail timetables, giving commuters more frequent services and greater reliability, were announced by the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) and its operator Veolia Transport, today.

The new timetables were developed by ARTA in partnership with Veolia and will be implemented from Monday 2 July and follow the completion of double tracking works on the Western line between New Lynn (Titirangi Road) and Henderson (Mt Lebanon Lane).

ARTA's Chief Executive, Fergus Gammie says, "The completion of this part of the double tracking works along the Western line, together with the development of new stations at Henderson, Fruitvale Road, Sunnyvale and Glen Eden, all with improved shelter, lighting, CCTV security monitoring and public address systems, represent a significant advance in the development of a modern rail network for Auckland. ARTA is proud to be leading that development working with the Auckland Regional Council, Auckland's city and district councils and national rail network developer, ONTRACK."

Mr Gammie acknowledged that the work on the Western line had caused some disruptions to commuters but says, "Passengers will now start to see the benefits of an improved rail service with more services and greater reliability".

Key service improvements for commuters are as follows:

Western Line
* The resumption of Saturday train services between New Lynn and Henderson
* Four train services an hour to Henderson during the weekday morning and afternoon peak
* New signalling equipment

Southern and Eastern Line
* Doubling of frequency for Saturday services 9am to 3pm between Otahuhu and Britomart
* New Sylvia Park station (opening June 2007) providing easy access to New Zealand's newest and largest retail and entertainment destination.

Mr Gammie says, "ARTA, in conjunction with its partner ONTRACK, is making major progress on upgrading Auckland's commuter rail services.

"Major redevelopments in the pipeline include the redevelopment of Newmarket and New Lynn train stations. Upgraded stations are also planned for Avondale, Sturges Road, Ranui, Swanson, Middlemore and Papakura, and of course moving forward with the rail electrification project for Auckland which includes the purchase of new, modern electric trains.

"Rail patronage continues to trend strongly upwards in Auckland. For the year ended June 30th, ARTA expects to have carried a record 5.7 million passengers, an increase of 14% growth on last year.

"This is a very exciting time to be working in the transport sector in Auckland. ARTA is fortunate enough to be contributing to making history through the development of a modern transport system, giving greater choice to Aucklanders", says Mr Gammie.

ENDS

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