Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) will commence passenger services on Sunday 13 September, following a series of public events and emergency preparedness exercises.
The new 3.45 kilometre twin-tunnel underground railway includes stations at Te Waihorotiu, Karanga-a-Hape and Maungawhau and will form part of a reconfigured rail network.
More than 43,000 people visited the new CRL stations during a series of First Look events, providing members of the public with an opportunity to explore the stations and learn about changes to Auckland’s rail network before services begin.
Passenger services on the opening day will operate to a special timetable, with trains departing from around 5 am. Auckland Transport expects demand to be high as passengers travel on the first services through the new underground route.
Trains on the East West line will depart from Henderson, Swanson, Puhinui, Manukau and Waitematā, while South City services will begin from Pukekohe, Puhinui, Parnell and Newmarket.
Auckland Transport will position ambassadors across the rail network to assist passengers with navigating the new stations and services. KiwiRail and Auckland One Rail will also deploy additional staff during the opening period.
Ahead of the opening, emergency services have completed a programme of exercises to prepare for operations within the new underground railway.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand, New Zealand Police and Hato Hone St John recently took part in a final multi-agency exercise involving a simulated fire on a train near Te Waihorotiu Station.
The exercise followed a wider emergency testing programme involving more than 1,400 volunteer passengers.
Around 200 personnel and more than 50 emergency service vehicles participated in 15 live exercises, which tested responses to scenarios including station fires, train failures in tunnels, derailments, onboard medical incidents and evacuations.
The programme also assessed supporting systems, including ventilation and smoke extraction, alarms, communications, CCTV, lighting and control room operations.
The City Rail Link includes sections of tunnel more than 40 metres below ground, requiring emergency services and rail operators to prepare for the challenges associated with underground access, evacuation and communication.
Signage, maps and customer information are also being updated across Auckland’s rail network ahead of the opening.
