Train Tracks Move Off The Road In New Lynn

Train Tracks Move Off The Road In New Lynn

Two of New Lynn’s notorious level crossings have been eliminated today, with trains using KiwiRail’s $160 million rail trench from this morning.

The duplication and lowering of New Lynn’s railway into an 8m-deep, 860m-long trench is seen as the key to unlocking the future development of the town centre, improving transit through the area and enhancing the passenger transport network by separating roads from rail.

Minister of Transport Steven Joyce joined Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey, KiwiRail Chairman Jim Bolger, ARTA board member Mike Williams, invited guests and commuters on the first Britomart-bound train to leave Henderson at 5:45am.

KiwiRail Chairman Jim Bolger says the rail tracks have been like a “Berlin Wall” cutting through the heart of New Lynn, and the replacement of the infamous Clark Street/Rankin Ave roundabout with a bridge is an example of the benefits of separating roads from rail.

“The long-term benefits of this upgrade will be critically important to the future development of New Lynn,” says Mr Bolger. “Rejuvenation of the Auckland urban rail network is absolutely vital to help meet the economic and environmental challenges of the future and nowhere is this more pertinent than in New Lynn.”

Waitakere City Council has built an additional two new bridges as part of the redevelopment of New Lynn town centre and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority is well underway on the construction of a new station and bus interchange.

The opening of the trench comes after 18 months of intensive construction using innovative techniques. The trench walls were built underground using a diaphragm wall methodology that is still uncommon in New Zealand, followed by the excavation of 89,000 cubic metres of earth – predominantly clay – over six months.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey says the trench, station and roading improvements will see New Lynn well on its way to becoming a vibrant and people-friendly town centre where people will want to live, work and play.

And he says the clay on which New Lynn was built can’t be forgotten.

"It was the art of clay that gave New Lynn its beginnings, and today we celebrate a new beginning for New Lynn that again has been carved from thousands of tonnes of clay,” says Mayor Harvey. “This rail trench will revolutionise this town centre and ensure it is a sustainable commercial and community hub for generations to come.”

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) is looking toward the opening of the new station in September as a major improvement for New Lynn commuters who have been patient with the many changes occurring as the project progresses.
ARTA Chairman, Rabin Rabindran said “New Lynn station is one of the busiest stations on Auckland’s rail network, and with projected population growth in the region, the station will be a pivotal hub in Auckland’s transport network.
“Its development will allow for more frequent and reliable passenger rail services in the west whose population can already lay claim to being one of the biggest public transport users in the west.”
When the second track is laid through the trench in June the Western Line Duplication Project will be complete, improving the capacity and reliability of Auckland’s rail network.

“Having a full section of double track on the entire western line will have service performance benefits because trains will not be delayed waiting for another train travelling in the opposite direction through single track sections, resulting in fewer delays and cancellations for customers.” Mr Rabindran said.

A temporary station will operate inside the trench until the opening of ARTA’s new station in September. Access is from Hetana St and Memorial Dr – for more information on travelling by train see maxx.co.nz

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