Onehunga Line

The Onehunga Line in Auckland, New Zealand is the name given to suburban train services that operate between Waitematā and Onehunga.

Onehunga Line
Overview
Owner	KiwiRail (tracks and platforms), Auckland Transport (trains and buildings)
Locale	Auckland, New Zealand
Termini	Waitematā (weekends and weekday off-peak) Penrose (peak) Onehunga
Connecting lines	Eastern, Southern, Western
Stations	3 (peak), 8 (off-peak and weekends)
Service
Type	Commuter Rail
System	AT Metro
Operator(s)	Auckland One Rail
Rolling stock	AM class
Technical
Line length	12.61 km (7.84 mi)
Number of tracks	2 (Britomart – Penrose), 1 (Penrose – Onehunga)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead
Route map Legend km 0.0 Waitematā Eastern Line and North Island Main Trunk The Strand Station Quay Park junction Ronayne Street SH 16 Parnell Rise Parnell Parnell Tunnel (343 m) Cowie Street Western Line 3.7 Newmarket Remuera Road SH 1 Newmarket Viaduct 4.8 Remuera Market Road Omahu Road Green Lane 6.2 Greenlane Mitchelson Street Walpole Street Main Highway 7.6 Ellerslie Ellerslie-Panmure Highway Great South Road 9.1 Penrose North Auckland Line ↓ Onehunga Branch O'Rorke Road Maurice Road Mays Road 11.15 Te Papapa Captain Springs Road Church Street Alfred Street Victoria Street Galway Street 12.52 Onehunga km This diagram: view talk edit

Map

Routing

From Waitematā, Onehunga Line services follow the North Auckland Line (NAL) to Penrose, where they diverge from the NAL and follow the Onehunga Branch line to Onehunga.

History

The line did not acquire its name until 2010, when the Onehunga Branch line was reopened and passenger services resumed from the Auckland terminus after a lapse of almost 40 years.

The Penrose to Onehunga section of this line was opened on 24 December 1873,^[1] and extended to Onehunga Wharf on 28 November 1878. Connecting the port of Onehunga on the Manukau Harbour with Penrose and from there to the port of Auckland on the Waitematā Harbour, the line became a busy link between the two harbours of the rapidly expanding city.

Passenger services between Auckland and Onehunga ran until April 1973. The Onehunga Branch line between Penrose and Onehunga then served local industries until it was mothballed. A campaign to reopen the branch line was launched in mid-2002. On 13 March 2007, the Government announced that it had given approval to spend $10 million on reopening the branch line for passengers and freight.

In mid-2010, construction started on the terminus station at Onehunga,^[2] and on Saturday 18 September 2010, reopening ceremonies were held, with Sunday 19 September being the first day of normal passenger services. The cost of reopening the branch line was about $21.6 million, with KiwiRail contributing $10 million, Auckland Regional Transport Authority contributing $3.6 million, and Auckland Regional Council contributing $8 million.^[3]

The Onehunga Line was upgraded as part of the Auckland railway electrification programme. It was the first of the four Auckland suburban lines to be commissioned.^[4] Installation of overhead wires was completed during the summer shut down from 2011 to 2012. Electric services began running between Britomart and Onehunga on 28 April 2014.^[5]

On 24 June 2022, the line was shortened to terminate at Newmarket due to a reduction of platforms at Britomart for City Rail Link construction.^[6] Auckland Transport said data showed only 15% of passengers on the line travelled to Britomart and that they could easily transfer to other services at Newmarket, thus the change would be the least disruptive of those needed to allow the reduction in platforms.^[7] Former Auckland councillor Mike Lee - who had an instrumental role in the 2010 reopening of the line - criticised the change.^[8] During Stage 2 of the Rail Network Rebuild between March 2023 and January 2024, the line was restored to Britomart during off-peak and weekends, running as a shuttle between Penrose and Onehunga during peak hours.^[9][10]

Stations

Stations on the Onehunga Line

	Distance from Waitematā	Name	Opened	Notes
	0.00 km (0.00 mi)	Waitematā	7 July 2003^[11]	Not served between 24 June 2022 and March 2023 due to City Rail Link construction. Off-peak and weekend stop only.
	3.84 km (2.39 mi)	Newmarket	20 December 1873^[11]	Terminus from 24 June 2022 until March 2023. Off-peak and weekend stop only.
	4.91 km (3.05 mi)	Remuera	20 December 1873^[11]	Only in evenings (effective from 26 August 2018).
	6.38 km (3.96 mi)	Greenlane	20 December 1873^[11]	Only in evenings (effective from 26 August 2018).
	7.75 km (4.82 mi)	Ellerslie	20 December 1873^[11]	Off-peak and weekend stop only
	9.2 km (5.72 mi)	Penrose	24 December 1873^[11]
	11.15 km (6.93 mi)	Te Papapa	8 April 1877^[11]	Closed on 19 February 1973^[11] and reopened on 18 September 2010.^[12] Services recommenced on 19 September 2010.^[12]
	12.52 km (7.78 mi)	Onehunga	20 December 1873^[11]	Closed on 19 February 1973^[11] and reopened on 18 September 2010.^[12] Services recommenced on 19 September 2010.^[12]

Proposed airport connection

There is a proposal to create the Auckland Airport Line by extending the Onehunga Branch line to Auckland International Airport over the Mangere Bridge. The bridge was duplicated from four motorway lanes to ten in 2007–10, and Transit New Zealand had announced in 2007 that it was being 'future proofed' to allow it to accommodate a rail line.^[13]

See also

• Public transport in Auckland
• List of Auckland railway stations

References

1. "OPENING OF THE ONEHUNGA RAILWAY. (New Zealand Herald, 1873-12-22)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. National Library of New Zealand. from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
2. Dearnaley, Mathew (21 April 2010). "Work starts at new Onehunga rail station". The New Zealand Herald. from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
3. "Rail link puts fun back into getting to school". The New Zealand Herald. 21 September 2010. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
4. "'Stunning' electric trains launched – but soon face delays". The New Zealand Herald. 28 April 2014. from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
5. "Electric trains". Auckland Transport. from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
6. "Onehunga Line Changes". Auckland Transport. from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
7. Niall, Todd (2 June 2022). "Auckland Rail: Onehunga service to be shortened due to City Rail Link". Stuff. from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
8. "Auckland Transport cuts Onehunga train service off at the knees". Newsroom. 23 June 2022. from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
9. "Onehunga Line train timetable (weekdays)" (PDF). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
10. "Onehunga Line train timetable (weekends)" (PDF). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
11. Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand
12. Powley, Kathryn; Emma Geraghty (19 September 2010). "People turn out to show car not the only way to travel". The New Zealand Herald. Auckland: APN Holdings NZ. from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
13. Dearnaley, Mathew (9 February 2007). "Transit opens door to cross-harbour rail link to airport". The New Zealand Herald. from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.