Onehunga rail update from the Auckland Regional Council

9 September 2009

Onehunga’s historic rail station could be returned to the town centre as part of the redevelopment of the ‘ITM site’. This is one of the ideas to emerge as Auckland prepares to reopen the Onehunga Branch Line (OBL) to passenger services.

It’s almost 137 years since the OBL first started carrying ship passengers between the Manukau Harbour and the settlement of Auckland, saving them a treacherous overland trip by horse and cart.

Travellers looking to beat traffic jams that now dominate that overland route will soon be able to catch the train once again. The old station might sit next to the new rail station, along with new shops and apartments on the ITM site on Onehunga Mall.

The Auckland Regional Council’s Transport and Urban Development Committee today received a report about how the ITM site might be redeveloped, with the old station, a new station, and shops and apartments all incorporated into concept plans.

Onehunga’s original station is one of only a handful of Auckland’s wooden stations to still exist, thanks to rail enthusiasts looking after it. The distinct, triangular building is currently in Onehunga’s Alfred St.

The ARC bought the ITM site at 109-111 Onehunga Mall for urban development in 2008 after a grassroots campaign by to get passenger services reinstated after a hiatus of nearly 40 years.

Located between the town centre and the Onehunga Branch Line, the regional council saw that the land offered the chance to bring passenger trains into Onehunga’s heart as they originally were, while at the same time promoting quality urban development that would help Onehunga become a growth centre and transport hub as envisaged under the Regional Growth Strategy.

Committee chairwoman Christine Rose said the purchase was a strategic one. “Onehunga will be a key future rapid transit interchange with possible rail extensions from Onehunga to the airport and Avondale.”

Locally known as the ITM site, the land is located east of Onehunga Mall, bounded by Princes and Neilson Streets. The Onehunga Branch Line forms the eastern boundary.

Officers told the committee that:

• The Onehunga branch line would open in the first half of 2010

• It is proposed that the new Onehunga station will be on the southern half of the ITM site

• The northern side could initially be used as a temporary park and ride

• KiwiRail Network (formerly ONTRACK) will use the site as a base while they rehabilitate the rail line.

However, the committee was urged to take a longer-term view of the site’s redevelopment. A draft development framework envisages that, in future, the northern end could be redeveloped with a high-quality, intensive form of development, which would breathe new life into the southern end of Onehunga Mall.

The new rail station especially would increase the number of pedestrians in the area, and redevelopment would improve the attractiveness and commercial viability of that part of the town centre. Commercial property advice suggested that in the medium term, the most appropriate uses would be a mix of retail and residential, as economic conditions picked up.

There was also an opportunity to tap into the area’s local history – the committee supported officers’ recommendation that the return of the historic rail station be investigated. It currently serves as a base for the Railway Enthusiasts Society, which would continue to use the building if it is moved.

Cr Rose said it was very important that the local community’s views on redevelopment were canvassed before the committee signed-off on the draft development framework, and that even temporary facilities such as a park and ride would need to be attractive.

ARC officers will be visiting the immediate neighbours of the site and community groups to tell them about options for redevelopment, to find out what they think and to listen to any concerns. They’ll report back to the Transport and Urban Development Committee in November.

ENDS

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