- Hon Chris Bishop
- Rt Hon Winston Peters
The new Third Main Line in Auckland will be a game changer for rail freight and will enable more frequent passenger trains, Rail Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Chris Bishop say.
The Third Main was opened by the Ministers at an event in South Auckland this morning, followed by a passenger train trip down the 6.5km line from Wiri to Middlemore Station.
"We funded this $328 million project in 2020, adding a third track in the busiest part of Auckland's rail network to ensure a busier passenger network does not derail our economy by blocking rail freight," Mr Peters says.
"Auckland is our largest city and congested roads are no good for locals, tradies or anybody else, and it is also New Zealand's largest domestic market where efficient freight connections here enables benefits from Northland to Southland.
"Rail moves 17 per cent of the freight task to and from Auckland with 4 million tonnes hauled last financial year equating to 2.7 tonnes for every Aucklander, and our efforts to optimise KiwiRail's freight business means there is real opportunity to grow volumes and get more trucks off our roads.
"We extend our thanks on behalf of the Government to KiwiRail for its work delivering the project," Mr Peters says.
Minister Bishop says more frequent passenger trains will be a breakthrough for transport in Auckland.
"Major cities across the world, including those we like to compare ourselves to, have far more frequent train services than anything we've seen to date in New Zealand.
"Opening the Third Main means we can look forward to seeing reliable peak services every 5 - 8 minutes across the city, giving Aucklanders more transport options and improving productivity. It's a necessity if our largest city is going to grow sustainably, while lifting the economy.
"The Third Main also provides an alternative route for trains to run during planned or unplanned disruption, providing resilience in our transport system and keeping services and people moving through this busy part of Auckland.
"Alongside other recent investments in Auckland's transport network, including the Papakura to Pukekohe rail electrification project, rail upgrades and renewals in Auckland through Budget 2025, and the City Rail Link, the Third Main will help keep our biggest city moving."
The Third Main project, which was funded in 2020, includes a third rail line between Wiri and Westfield junctions (including Puhinui and Middlemore Stations); track upgrades at Quay Park (where the Eastern Line passes) to enable flexibility for freight moving in and out of Port of Auckland; track upgrades at Wiri and Westfield Junctions; and the redevelopment of Middlemore Station to include a new, third platform.
Approximately 6.5km on new track has been laid and 50 pieces of track infrastructure (turnouts), which improve flexibility by allowing trains to switch between tracks, have been added.
