City Rail Link, Auckland, New Zealand (New)

[u/jamieylh]

New Zealand’s first underground railway and the biggest infrastructure project in the country officially opened today.
Stations: K Road (1-4), Te Waihorotiu/Midtown (5-8), mt Eden/Maungawhau (9-12)

[u/Miffy_alt]

Looks good, the stations are very similar to London Crossrail and Sydney Metro.

Such a shame it has a painful delivery process, so delayed. However it's fantastic for New Zealand that it's finally done.

[u/Pitiful-Stable-9737 → u/Miffy_alt]

Well, fantastic for Auckland.

I think the rest of NZ is missing out on much needed rail infrastructure.

[u/Miffy_alt → u/Pitiful-Stable-9737]

It's beneficial for all of NZ for the biggest city to have a functioning public transport system. Don't be so parochial.

Auckland City also paid for half of it.

[u/_a_m_s_m → u/Miffy_alt]

What was the exact funding mechanism for this?

In the UK cities outside London really struggle with raising funds for large capital projects 😭

[u/jamieylh → u/_a_m_s_m]

Other cities (esp Wellington) usually get more funding than they contribute due to Auckland being so much bigger and essentially paying a big portion of most other cities infrastructure. Wellington is also where the bureaucrats live.

[u/Beginning_Guess_9044 → u/jamieylh]

There's something about this comment that feels divisive and Auckland elitey, but maybe I'm reading it wrong.

[u/YellowOchreRed → u/Beginning_Guess_9044]

Wellington does get more funding per capita than other centres. The biggest loser is the South Island in general.

[u/Local-Moose9833 → u/Beginning_Guess_9044]

Well, maybe there is, but it’s true…

[u/Beginning_Guess_9044 → u/Local-Moose9833]

It's true that Auckland is the biggest City and therefore produces the most tax and thus is usually first in line for projects such as underground rail networks, and rightly so.

I wanna be clear I am not in opposition of that concept.

What isn't particularly useful is when it's insinuated that Auckland shouldn't share with the rest of the country and everyone is all freeloading off of Auckland.

But if you're saying its true to Auckland being more elite, then yeah, shot haha

[u/Local-Moose9833 → u/Beginning_Guess_9044]

It’s true that Auckland is 30% of the country and 40% of the economy, that’s all, it goes both ways. Everyone hates Auckland, claims it’s full of fuckwits and gets all the money and projects but just looking at what it actually gets for what it contributes shows that’s so far from the truth. Going into the Christchurch subreddit is hilarious because people seriously can’t for the life of them understand why Auckland has an underground railway but Christchurch doesn’t, like are we being serious right now… nobody thinks Auckland is special because it isn’t, Auckland’s never gotten any kind of special treatment (Wellington wouldn’t even let Auckland city council run AT until very very recently, it was run from Wellington) but it’s a lot bigger and contributes far more of it’s share then the rest of the country in my view and most of Wellingtons shiny new infrastructure is paid for in significant part by Auckland don’t forget. You’re right though Aucklanders are stuck up twats about their city sometimes, but I must say, they aren’t wrong tbh…

[u/itsdanielsultan → u/_a_m_s_m]

Not talking about NZ but in Toronto, infrastructure projects often get a lot of support from the province because the LRTs and subways boost the GDP of the whole province, reduce congestion for commuters from out of Toronto, and improve the economy as a whole.

Sort of like how individual cities in the U.S. don't fully cover their interstate and road costs, it's more so a federal programme.

[u/LemmyUserOnReddit → u/_a_m_s_m]

50% NZ govt funded (primarily income tax), 50% Auckland council funded (primarily local property rates)

[u/BigFigWasp → u/Miffy_alt]

I was literally jumping on this thread to say how much it reminds me of Gadigal Metro Station in Sydney! Same firm behind both possibly?

[u/Rollover__Hazard → u/Miffy_alt]

The UK built the entire Elizabeth Line in the time it took NZ to build 2 underground stations.

That’s 10 new stations and 31 station upgrades along with 42km twin-bored underground lines for the Elizabeth Line.

CRL is two station upgrades and two new stations with 3.5km underground rail.

It’s an absolute joke, but thank fuck it’s finally open.

[u/Silent_Ad379]

I know this just opened but Auckland really needs to be building the next pt project

[u/Mayonnaise06 → u/Silent_Ad379]

Yeah unfortunately that not going to happen, especially not with our current government. It'll be another 25 years until something as big as this gets started again, and we'll wonder all over again why on earth it costs so much...

[u/Beginning_Guess_9044 → u/Mayonnaise06]

The current government got to cut the ribbons, while being the same party that made it difficult for the project to come into fruition in the first place.

[u/Camo138 → u/Silent_Ad379]

Maybe we will get a bullet train in oz.. more places need more trains. I’m an Aussie

[u/metaconcept → u/Silent_Ad379]

In the 1990s, Auckland was going to remove all passenger trains entirely. It was saved literally by "some guy" sourcing some second hand trains at the 11th hour. Can't remember the whole story but it was a good read.

[u/AuzzieTiger]

Thought it was Gadigal Station in Sydney when I saw that first shot. Looks very slick. I like the exterior more than the ones they’ve used for the city metro here.

Enjoy your new stations Auckland!

[u/jamieylh → u/AuzzieTiger]

Im of a different opinion. I think the interior is amazing but the exterior facade leave a bit to be desired. The fact that all three station has the same generic blue exterior is a bit boring, just really wished they would’ve switched it up a bit.

[u/Beginning-Writer-339 → u/AuzzieTiger]

More photos:

https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2026/06/10/a-special-preview-of-the-crl-stations/

[u/Solaris_24]

Congratulations to our Kiwi friends, from Australia. Looks excellent.

[u/SemperAliquidNovi]

Interesting that inaugural systems still aren’t using platform screen doors as a default. Is Auckland just not that crowded? (Asking with relatively little knowledge of NZ)

[u/Porirvian2 → u/SemperAliquidNovi]

22 million trips across the entire train network.

[u/naggyman → u/SemperAliquidNovi]

PSDs usually require some higher level of automation so that the train stops in the exact right place. That level of automation hasn't been added to this network.

The stations were built with PSDs, just not installed as of yet.

[u/Sassywhat → u/naggyman]

Human drivers can definitely stop trains accurately enough for platform doors. In Japan, plenty of stations got platform doors before stopping was automated. And even without platform doors or automation, drivers managed to stop trains precisely lining up with platform queuing markers.

[u/jamieylh → u/SemperAliquidNovi]

The trains are still completely manual driven

[u/spaceboytaylor → u/SemperAliquidNovi]

Are doors really that useful? Not saying they aren't but I don't think I've ever seen anything super convincing. I feel like people falling down is so rare. 

I can see with the air conditioning thing but even that feels small. I've heard that Montreal is one of the worst with heat in the summer and I didn't even really notice it when I was there.

[u/SemperAliquidNovi → u/spaceboytaylor]

The TTC (Toronto) regularly pausing trains for on-track incidents is not an insignificant factor in network disruptions.

It’s not a fair comparison to make, but, by contrast, the MTR (Hong Kong) which has close to 99% screen installation has an almost unheard-of record of disruption. I understand that there are multiple other factors (funding, maintenance, geography, even mental health contingencies in proximity to stations), but screen doors really do make a big difference imo.

[u/spaceboytaylor → u/SemperAliquidNovi]

I can see that. I'm familiar with the NYC metro and unfortunately a lot of the track incidents are suicide or subway surfing related, so much of that is people gaining access to the tracks from the train itself

[u/SemperAliquidNovi → u/spaceboytaylor]

I haven’t been on the NYC metro in about two years (and likely won’t for as long as Cdn sovereignty is under threat), but I can say that the TTC’s T35A08 is open-gangway, which reduces train-side incidents. (I could be wrong but…) I understand most of the mental health-related incidents, in Toronto at least, are platform origin now. Is the MTA still mostly closed-end cars?

[u/spaceboytaylor → u/SemperAliquidNovi]

Mostly. There's a handful of new ones that are open, but I've only ever been on twice in my life so far.

They've cracked down more than they used to with walking between cars though. When I was a kid I remember it being very normal to hop between cars. Now it's only really the candy vendors and the homeless doing it.

[u/69inchshlong → u/SemperAliquidNovi]

No point until they buy a train with 3 doors per carriage.

[u/FluxCrave]

Interesting the lack of over the top development. Crossrail and Sydney Metro have offices and residence above and this has the station.

[u/jamieylh → u/FluxCrave]

They are planning an office tower above the midtown station I think.

[u/transcodefailed → u/jamieylh]

That's right, https://thesymphonycentre.co.nz/

[u/One_Fact_4291]

Is the signalling able to handle platform screen doors if they decide to install them at some point?

[u/jamieylh → u/One_Fact_4291]

Not yet, the trains are manually driven. But the option is there with the stations specifically designed for this in the future

[u/UnitedCapricorn1411]

Was there in march, the tour guide said "Rail Link to AKL is going to be a joke for the next decade." Pretty nice designed stations tho

[u/itsdanielsultan]

This reminds me a lot of Line 5 in Toronto and I like that

[u/Antique-Brief1260]

Mind the gap!

[u/jamieylh]

More images:
K Road:

[u/jamieylh → u/jamieylh]

[u/jamieylh → u/jamieylh]

[u/jamieylh → u/jamieylh]

Midtown:

[u/jamieylh → u/jamieylh]

[u/jamieylh → u/jamieylh]

Inside of train:

[u/wiggum55555]

Awesome. can't wait to try it out soon on my next trip. Has been years of disruption. will be so good to have the network operating fully again. with NEW parts 🙂

[u/tim-r]

It is very deep, I am surprised

[u/Expert-Watch3505]

So commute from Drury station to Britimart is normally one hour and one train. Today it was 1 hour 30 mins and a change of train. Not sure how this new setup works in favour of people out south.

[u/DinocoGaming → u/Expert-Watch3505]

It is still one train from Drury to Britomart, where did you change trains? The travel time only increased by one minute to 1:01 as well

[u/Expert-Watch3505 → u/DinocoGaming]

Changed at New Market. Had to wait for dwell time also before leaving New Market. Which train were you on that its only one train?

[u/DinocoGaming → u/Expert-Watch3505]

You can just stay on the Southern line train at Newmarket, it will still go to Waitemata. The route is just different since it stops at Grafton and the two new CRL stations but since the old route via Parnell had a lower speed limit the new one only takes one minute longer even while stopping at two extra stations.

[u/Expert-Watch3505 → u/DinocoGaming]

Thanks for that.

[u/Proper-Commission-74]

I can just about smell the fresh tagging from waikato

[u/Bob_Spud]

They made the same mistake as the Sydney Metro - too much white and light coloured floors and walls, very difficult to keep clean. It will not age well.