Auckland Railscene

We will approach New Zealand's biggest city from its wildest side: the West. Native bush covers the rugged hills that lie between the coast and the city. Though the city pushes always further out, the bush still clings to the steep gullies and precarious cliffs, not so much because of its wildness, but due its status as regional park. Aucklanders not only seek recreation in the Waitakere Ranges, but more the life-blood of any city: water.

It sure rains in the Waitakeres, and this water is collected by large dams throughout the Ranges. Earlier in the century bush trams were pushed through the bush to build the dams. They continue their role in the maintenance of the dams, though they are now also accessible by road. For some time these little trains also provided visitor acces to the dams. Here is a special passenger train near the Waitakere Dam. Due to a slip, trains can no longer reach the dam itself and passengers stop at this cliff to observe the view down the valley. [Jul 2003]

As we go towards the city, we come upon houses in the bush and small life-style farms, which at one point culminate in a village. In Waitakere we meet rails again, this time a bit further apart: 1067mm, the standard New Zealand gauge. For many years Waitakere was the north-western terminus of Auckland's suburban trains. From the 1960s to 1993 these trains were operated by diesel locomotives with old steel carriages, such as this train hauled by a DC near Swanson. [Oct 1992].
In 1993 New Zealand Rail introduced diesel multiple units on the Auckland suburban network. These were bought second-hand from Perth, Australia. An ADL unit leaves Waitakere, the north-western terminus of Auckland's suburban rail network. [2000].
Beside the ten units of the ADL/ADC class, New Zealand Rail also imported nine units of the ADK/ADB class. Here an ADK diesel multiple unit is seen crossing a bridge in Swanson in the early days of its service in New Zealand. [1993].
An ADL class diesel multiple unit has just passed the Kelston Shopping Centre and now approaches Fruitvale Road Station curving past a little park. [Jun 2003].
An ADK diesel multiple unit arrives at Fruitvale Road Station during the morning commuting hour. [Jun 2003].
An ADL diesel multiple unit rattles past the house in Mt Albert I lived in at that time. [2001].

Once upon a time Auckland had trams clanging through its streets, but they can now only be seen on weekends, trundling slowly over the tracks along the Western Springs Reserve. [Aug 2003]

Up to July 2003 Auckland suburban trains used the old railway station from 1930, which was about 1 km from the Auckland CBD. An ADK multiple unit stands at the platform of the old railway station. [Jun 2003].

This is the old Auckland railway station, which was in use until 2003. It is now a hostel for university students. Trains curve around it to enter the tunnel to the new Britomart Transport Centre. [Dec 2007]
Rail services in Auckland have improved dramatically from 2003 onwards. In July 2003 the new Britomart transport centre was opened, which trains enter through an underground tunnel. Commuters can now travel to the heart of the city, after they previously faced a 20 minute walk or a bus ride to get to the centre. The old chief post office with its grandiose facade serves as the entrance, while the station is underground receiving daylight through large glass domes. The walls are lighted in multicoloured hues and water features give the station a nice ambience. Better timetables and this new station have attracted passengers. [Dec 2007].
And this is the view of the transport centre from street level. Buses stops are scattered around the centre, with most in Queen Elizabeth Square, the wide open space outside the former post office. The ferry terminal is just across the road ensuring good connections with other modes. [Dec 2006]
But we'll start our look at the Britomart diesel era from July 2003 to July 2015 in the West again. An ADL diesel multiple unit stops at the newly restored Glen Eden station in West Auckland. Between 2002 and 2003 these units had a face-lift and were part of the improvements of the Auckland rail system. . However, that did not remedy their mechanical problems which sometimes drive passengers and railway staff to utter frustration. [May 2005]
In September 2010 a new double-track railway station was opened in New Lynn. It runs through a trench, so that the railway station is underground. This has allowed the railway line to be double tracked. Passengers disembark at the underground New Lynn station. [Jun 2013].
An ADL diesel multiple unit travels up the grade to Avondale from New Lynn. Note that the Western Line was still only single-track at this time. [Aug 2003].
This train approaches the Kingsland railway station. To the left is Dominion Road, which already then had a bus lane. [Aug 2003].
The Kingsland railway station was small, single track and rather neglected at that time. [Aug 2003].
Two ADK class coupled multiples units, on a train from Papakura, have just emerged from the Parnell tunnel and head towards the city. These were the older type multiple units operating in Auckland, which, as their newer versions, were imported second-hand from Perth. While the new units have two powered cars, the older version consists of a trailer and a motorised car. With heavy loads and along steep grades these cars have to work hard to get any speed, adding to time-keeping difficulties. [Nov 2004]
An ADL unit travels up the bank from the city to Newmarket und is about to enter the Parnell tunnel. [Nov 2004].
One solution to combat the sudden shortage in rolling stock from 2003 was to use former long distance railcars for suburban services. These Silver Fern railcars were employed on express services for some time, especially from Pukekohe to Auckland. Here two railcars are emerging from the Parnell Tunnel on their way to the city. These railcars were originally built in 1972 for the daylight service between Auckland and Wellington. In 1991 they were switched to run between Auckland and Rotorua or Tauranga. However in 2002 those trains were stopped as passenger services were sold to a new company. The railcars gained a new lease of life on the wider suburban network. A ride in these railcars is very comfortable and if the track allows it they can easily exceed speeds of 120km/h. [Nov 2004]
To implement the new timetable, more trains were needed. Another solution was to rebuild old British Rail carriages for suburban services. This train had Dc diesel locomotives on either end. It has left the city and powers up the Parnell bank. [Nov 2004].
The Auckland Domain is a large park with open fields, bush and forest, linked by walkways and roads. The railway runs along its more remote parts. With the camera ready I stepped out from the forest onto the railway corridor to see wether any train was in sight. Indeed a DBR sped towards me along the tracks - just time to duck into the grass before the engine loomed ahead and roared past with its train. [Nov 2004]
A series of bridges carried the line to the old Auckland railway station. Today, there is even one more bridge as new roads are built to move Auckland's stalling road traffic. However, the trains now continue to the new underground station, once they have trundled over the Parnell bridges. Here an early morning service leaves the city heading for Waitakere. Unfortunately just then a van sped onto the carpark and pulled up right in front of the bridge. [Nov 2004]
After driving trailers were introduced, most of the rebuilt carriages were run as push-pull consists with a driving trailer. DC locomotives provide the motive power. This train has arrived from South Auckland across the waterfront line via Orakei and is about to enter the tunnel to the Britomart Transport Centre, driving trailer leading. [Dec 2007].
And here the train is entering the tunnel from the Britomart Transport Centre, the Dc locomotive pushing the train. Luckily for train photographers, there is a footbridge over the trench leading to the tunnel near the Vector Arena. [Dec 2007]
The ADK diesel multiple units were also modernised and four cars (two power cars and two trailers) were permanently coupled. Such a train enters the trench to the Britomart transport centre. [Dec 2007].
Another view of the coloured walls of the Britomart Transport Centre with an ADK diesel multiple unit. [Aug 2003]
An ADK diesel multiple unit has left Britomart and travels past the port and Judges Bay towards Orakei. [May 2005].
As the light of day fades, this ADK diesel railcar has just crossed the causeway across Hobson Bay on its way to Britonmart. [May 2005].

Not all suburban trains entered the new Britomart station once it had opened. For some time four trains a day where still routed via one of the old remaining station platforms. Meant to cater for school traffic these trains consisted of former Queensland Rail carriages that have had an overhaul in Dunedin. They ran in a loop from Papakura, through Newmarket and around the waterfront. Here two DBR locomotives, in Maxx livery, slowly haul three carriages through Meadowbank station. It seems nobody wanted to get off or on that day. One Tree Hill is in the back ground, its lonely cenotaph pointing towards the sky, after the tree had to be removed because it had suffered under repeated vandal attacks in the name of politics. [Sep 2003]

This train did stop in Meadowbank. Here the driving trailer of one of the new SA sets is at the end of a train heading east out of Meadowbank. [Dec 2006]
An ADL diesel multiple unit leaves Meadowbank station towards Glen Innes. [Dec 2006].
Further east trains head past the Purewa cemetry. Here an old DMU heads towards the city. Today only the trains disturb the peace of the cemetry, but there were plans to put a major urban motorway alongside this section of the railway line. Until now the concrete tracks of the motor-car have not bulldozed through this picturesque valley, in the service of individual freedom, urban sprawl and Shell&Co. [Sep 2003]
In the morning the overnight train Northerner from Wellington also arrived in Auckland. Here, it travels past the Purewa cemetry. [Sep 2003]
Down in the cemetry, the trains are part of the rythm of time. A priest folds up his robes after officiating at a funeral while a diesel multiple unit briefly breaks the stillness of the last resting place. [Dec 2006]
An ADL diesel multiple unit at Glen Innes station. [Jun 2013].
This is the inside view of a refurbished ADK diesel multiple unit. [Jun 2013].
The interior design of the SA carriages was quite similar. [Dec 2006].

Time to make our way South. And where better way to start than in Auckland's industrial part: Otahuhu. For here are the shunting yards, the railway container transfer site, the hub of Auckland's freight scene: the Westfield yards. Though recently shunting has been reduced on the New Zealand rail network it is still required. And the machine to do just that is the DH. Engines running it sits between freight wagons in the sun. With a high hood on one side it may not be ideal for visibility, but with a shunter on its steps it can easily couple on to wagons. One of its duties, is the shunting container wagons from the Westfield yards to container depots and the port. [Aug 2003]

Otahuhu is at the centre of Auckland's industrial district. But there is also frequent passenger service on this line.
Here I met the rebuilt version of the old-type Perth railcars. A new driver's cab, airconditioning and new interior make these more comfortable railcars. Two double units are now permanently coupled in the configuration motorised car - trailer - trailer - motorised car. The former trailer cabs now contain diesel generators for air conditioning. [Dec 2007]

In a siding at Otahuhu a train of SA carriages is parked up during the off-peak period to wait for further duties. The container yard underlines the industrial character of the area. [Dec 2007].
The SX carriages continued to be used until 2014, but with locomotives on either side they operated trains into Britomart. Here are the carriages on a train at Otahuhu. [Dec 2007].
Passengers disembark from a train at Otahuhu. [Dec 2007].

Another of the rebuilt ADK units from Perth is about to arrive in Otahuhu from the South on its way to the Britomart Transport Centre. It meets a train of SA carriages operating another of the now frequent suburban services on the line. Note the Maxx logo on the trains. This brand was used for a few years to market the Auckland public transport system. [Dec 2007]

An ADL diesel multiple unit is underway near Papatoetoe in the south of Auckland. [Aug 2003].
While passenger services have improved around Auckland, the number of freight trains north of Auckland has decreased. From 2016 onwards only one return train a day was running between Auckland and Whangarei and no train services continued past Kauri near Whangarei. The track has also deteriorated markedly, so that speeds had to be reduced. Here a freight train, hauled by two DC locomotives and one DFT, is departing from Helensville on its way north. [Apr 2017].
Another step change for Auckland suburban trains occurred in 2014 when the electrification of the Britomart Transport Centre and large parts of the network were completed and electric trains began operating. Here is a view of the Britomart Transport Centre in the new days of electric trains. [May 2016].
The new western terminus for the electric trains is Swanson with buses now serving Waitakere. The Swanson train station has two platforms and a large park + ride facility. [Nov 2016].
The Waitakere Ranges rise not far from Swanson and form a barrier to the West Coast. [Nov 2016].
The AM class electric multiple units were built by CAF of Spain. Since 2015 they operate all suburban trains between Papakura and Swanson. One of the AM clas units sits at the platform in Swanson one winter evening. [Jul 2019].
This is the Auckland rail network that has been bedded in with electrification. Map by Auckland Transport.
An electric multiple unit has come up the incline from New Lynn and now arrives in Avondale on a rainy day. [Nov 2017].
An AM electric railcar has just left Mt Albert station behind on its run to Britomart. [Jul 2017].
Slowing down to stop at Mt Albert, this train to Swanson passes the house I used to live in in the early 2000s. [Jul 2017].
On the Western, Eastern and Southern line trains operate at 10-minute frequencies during the peak period, 20-minute frequencies during weekdays, and 30-minute frequencies on evenings and weekends. A train arrives at Baldwin Avenue on the Western Line. [Nov 2016].
Trams continue to trundle along from MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology). Here, a tram is positioned for its next run at MOTAT during one of those heavy Auckland rain showers. [Nov 2016].
The tram barn is in the eastern main site of MOTAT. Several trams sit on the rails ready for use another day. [Aug 2017].
A tram, which in days gone by ran in Melbourne, trundles along the Western Springs Park to MOTAT. [Oct 2017].
The trams travel along Western Springs Reserve to connect the main MOTAT site with its western branch site. [Nov 2016].
A tram sits at the MOTAT western site, which has the aviation hangar and is also the base for the railway collection. The conductor waits to usher passengers on board. [Aug 2017].
Kingsland Station is near Eden Park, a large sport stadium. That's why it is used to get passengers to and from big events. On this day, there was no game at Eden Park and the station only used by regular passengers. [Apr 2017].
In Newmarket the Western Line is surrounded by some tall buildings these days. A train has just left Newmarket Station and now heads up the grade towards Grafton. [Sep 2017].
Several AM electric units meet in Newmarket. [Sep 2017].
Just north of the Newmarket Station is a triangle junction. This is the view from above the Western Line. On the right the double lines curve towards Newmarket Junction. On the left the lines curve towards the Parnell Tunnel and Britomart. A train from Onehunga to Britomart has just left Newmarket and heads along the main line towards Parnell. [Sep 2017].
This train has just left the Parnell tunnel and is now heading down the grade towards Parnell station. [Jul 2017].
Parnell Station sits next to the Auckland Domain, a large park near the centre of Auckland. The trees of this park can be seen in the background as an electric unit heads up the incline towards Newmarket. [Jul 2017].
This station building was originally at Newmarket. When Newmarket Station was radically changed and upgraded, the old building had to be moved and was finally brought to Parnell. Parnell Station sits in the gully below Parnell next to the Auckland Domain. It was opened on in March 2017, but does not have all accessways completed, so that it is difficult to get to. [Sep 2017].
A Western Line train arrives at Parnell Platform 2 on its way to Britomart. Meanwhile on Platform 1 the Te Huia Train to Hamilton passes through Parnell. [Nov 2023].
The Te Huia train between Hamilton and Auckland was a project of the Labour government. It wanted to see at least some progress on regional passenger rail and was able to start at least this service due to enthusiastic support by the Waikato Regional Council and Hamilton City. In 2023, there were two trains in each direction per day. The trains are diesel-hauled and operated by KiwiRail. [Nov 2023].
Currently Parnell is a very busy station, with trains passing or stopping constantly. A Southern Line train hurries up the hill from Auckland to Parnell. By comparing earlier photos it's possible to see how much the area has changed in the last 20 years. [Nov 2023].
Many of the AM electric units now operate as six-car sets. A Western Line train descends the hill from Parnell to Auckland. [Nov 2023].
Diesel trains are no longer allowed to enter Britomart Station. The Te Huia train, as well as the Northern Explorer, therefore depart from a platform of the former Auckland Railway Station, which is not easily reached from the city. This station is called The Strand, after the nearby road. It is a very basic two-platform station. DFB 7295 stands at the head of the Te Huia train at The Strand station, while an AM multiple unit is seen rounding the curve from Britomart Station. [Nov 2023].
Three AM multiple units wait in Britomart Station. On the central platform, platform 3, a train is about to depart for Swanson. [Aug 2017].
The central carriage of the three-car multiple units has a low floor area. This is the interior view of the new AM train sets. [May 2016].
On the eastern line an AM electric train travels on the causeway across Hobson Bay with the island of Rangitoto in the background. [Nov 2016].
Another view of the causeway across Hobson Bay, this time from the north-east. On a fine summer morning an electric multiple unit crosses one of the bridges which allows water to enter into inner Hobson Bay. Auckland Cathedral is on the hill in the background. [Nov 2017].
Coupled AM units speed across the causeway. The Auckland City Centre with the prominent Sky Tower is in the background. [Nov 2017].
Two trains meet each other on the Hobson Bay causeway. [Nov 2017].
Regular freight trains take containers to and from the Ports of Auckland. They travel across Hobson Bay and the eastern suburbs either to the Auckland yards in Westfield or the inland port in Wiri. A class DC diesel engine hauls its container train with the long hood leading across the causeway. [Nov 2017].
The railway line also runs on a causeway across Orakei Basin, where several creeks once formed a tidal estuary. Today, the southern part of Orakei Basin is no longer tidal, but kept at a relatively constant level. A double-unit train crosses the Orakei Basin in the late evening peak. [Oct 2016].
This view of the causeway across Orakei Basin also is from the south-west as another train passes, this time towards the city. [Oct 2016].
A board walk runs alongside the causeway across Orakei Basin. [Oct 2016].
A train on the Orakei Basin causeway as seen from the north-west. [Nov 2017].
This is the view of the causeway from Kohimarama, which lies on the hill to the north-east of the Orakei Basin. The volcanic cone of Mt Hobson is in the background. [Jan 2017].
A double-unit train crosses the causeway in the morning peak hour. The northern part of Orakei Basin is at low tide, while the southern part is partitioned off by the causeway and a dam and not affected by the tides. [Jan 2017].
A DC locomotive hauls a container train from the Port of Auckland to the Wiri Inland Port through Meadowbank station. [Jul 2017].
An AM unit arrives at Meadowbank Station. [Nov 2016].
The tranquility of Purewa cemetry has not been disturbed by the proposed motorway. Trains run more frequently now along the cemetry and being electric they are a lot quieter. The hedge has also grown, so that trains are no longer that visible. [Feb 2017].
A city-bound train approaches the Purewa Tunnel between Glen Innes and Meadowbank. [Oct 2017].
The area adjacent to the railway line is still protected by a designation for a possible motorway. That's why the land is used for horse grazing and no houses have been built on it so far. A train has just left Glen Innes on its way to the city. [Oct 2017].
Passengers disembark from the train at Glen Innes station on a winter evening. [Jul 2017].
A double-unit train passes through Panmure. This is the view from Mt Wellington (Maungarei). [Oct 2016].
The first AM electric multiple units were supplied from CAF, Spain, in 2014. While the trains to Onehunga were operated by electric units from 2014, the electric trains only took over operations on the entire network north of Papakura from July 2015. An AM unit departs Ellerslie. [May 2016].
Ellerslie station is right beside the busy southern motorway. It provides a striking contrast between the noisy, ugly and land-hungry motorway and the relatively quiet, pleasant railway with its smaller imprint on the landscape. [May 2016].
The Onehunga Branch Line now ends at Onehunga Station, tucked behind some industrial sites, but fairly close to the Onehunga town centre. A train gets ready to depart to Britomart from the small station. Trains only run every half hour from Onehunga. [May 2017].
Onehunga Station sits next to an empty site, through which the railway line originally continued to Onehunga Wharf. Plans to continue the railway line to the airport have been abandoned by Auckland Transport in favour of a light rail line. [Nov 2017].
Nevertheless, Onehunga Station can be quite busy at times. During the day trains from Onehunga run as limited stop services to Britomart. [Nov 2017].
At Westfield the Eastern and the Southern line meet. Due to low passenger boardings, Westfield Station was closed from March 2017. In 2016, trains still stopped frequently at Westfield Station. [Oct 2016].
Westfield continues to be the main marshalling yard in Auckland, where all freight trains arrive. Many of them then continue on directly to the container transfer site nearby. Here a freight train hauled by a DL locomotive arrives in Westfield from the south. [Oct 2016].
The Middlemore Station is right next to Middlemore Hospital and therefore a very busy station. As some other trains on the Auckland network, AM 578 has an advertising livery at the moment. This one is for phone company One. [Nov 2023].
At this time a third track was currently installed between Westfield and Wiri. Getting it through Middlemore Station was difficult. Here we see enabling works for the third track behind the suburban train arriving at Middlemore. [Nov 2023].
Two electric multiple units meet just south of Papatoetoe. [Nov 2023].
The line between Wiri and Westfield is very busy. Both the Southern Line and Eastern Line services use this section, as well as freight trains and long-distance passenger trains. In the morning rush hour another train approaches Papatoetoe. [Nov 2023].
The Te Huia train between Hamilton and Auckland is one of the few long-distance passenger trains to Auckland. Here the train departs from its stop in Puhinui with the driving trailer leading. [Nov 2023].
After continuous debate how Auckland Airport should be provided with public transport, the politicians decided to build light rail from the city via Mt Roskill to the airport and to provide a frequent bus service from Manukau City to the airport with Puhinui as the key transfer station between rail and bus. The fancy new Puhinui Interchange was opened in July 2021. Whether the new light rail line will ever be built is questionable. [Nov 2023].
The third track in Puhinui Station is currently still being used for marshalling of the Wiri Multiple Unit Depot. A train backs into the then unused platform before entering the depot. [Nov 2023].
That's the Wiri EMU Depot as seen from above. When planes come in to land at Auckland Airport from the east, their flight path takes them just north of the depot. The depot is constrained by significant roads on all sides. [Nov 2023].
An AM electric multiple unit arrives in Papakura from the north. [Jul 2019].
The electrified section ends in Papakura. To provide a connection to Pukekohe, Auckland Transport continues to operate the ADL diesel units between Pukekohe and Papakura. Passengers have to change trains in Papakura. [Jul 2019].
Several ADL units have been kept on by Auckland Transport after 2015 to provide a diesel shuttle between Pukekohe and Papakura. An ADL diesel unit travels through Paerata on its way to Papakura. [Dec 2016].
An ADL unit arrives in Pukekohe, where a depot for the diesel trains has been established. [Jul 2019].
A diesel unit at night at Pukekohe, ready to depart to Papakura again. [Jul 2019].
Southwest of Auckland the Glenbrook Vintage Railway operates on the former Waiuku Branch from Glenbrook to Waiuku. It is the premium steam heritage railway in New Zealand. Glenbrook Vintage Railway steam locomotive No. 4 sits with a train at Glenbrook Station. [Nov 2000].
GVR No. 4 was previously used on the Taupo-Totara Timber Company bush railway from Putaruru to Mokai. It was built in America by Mallet and shipped to New Zealand in 1913. For many years it was the main steam motive power of the GVR, until it was withdrawn in 2001 requiring a major overhaul. [Nov 2000].
Today there is also a signal box at Glenbrook Station. On one of its regular Sunday trips, Ww 644 departs Glenbrook Station. [Dec 2016].
Ww 644 was built in 1915 by the Hillside workshops, Dunedin. The locomotive worked in Auckland, Wellington, Timaru and Oamaru, before ending service for the New Zealand Government Railways on the South Island West Coast. The locomotive is operational for the Glenbrook Vintage Railway since 2007. Here, it arrives with a train at Glenbrook. The railway line on the right goes to the Glenbrook Steel Mill. [Dec 2016].
When there is no train at Glenbrook Station, visitors can take a ride on the hand jigger. Two volunteer staff in their period uniforms give a visitor a ride at Glenbrook Station. [Dec 2016].
Ww 644 steams up the grade near Morley Road in the park-like surroundings of the Waiuku contryside. [Dec 2016].
At the same place the sister locomotive Ww 480 steams up the grade near Morley Road. The photo is taken from the other side of the tracks. [Jan 2019].
The large depot of the GVR is at Pukeoware Road, about halfway between Glenbrook and Waiuku. For the first few years this was the terminus of the line, until the route to Waiuku could be re-opened. Trains normally stop at Pukeoware Depot, so that passengers can look at the workshops. Ww 644 is about to depart for Glenbrook. [Dec 2016].
In 2010 the Glenbrook Vintage Railway opened the railway line right into Waiuku again. It also passes under this concrete bridge built in 1921. Currently, the bridge gives pedestrians access to nowhere in particular, just the fence of a property. But it looks good as Ww 480 bursts from under it on its way out of Waiuku. [Jan 2019].
Currently, trains go up to Victoria Avenue Station in Waiuku, near a small lake formed by the Waiuku Stream. It is planned that the railway will cross the lake on bridge just beyond the current station and continue to Tamakae Reserve. [Jan 2019].
Ww 480 was built by Hillside Workshops in Dunedin in 1910, originally as WG 480. In 1949, it was converted to a Ww class locomotive. Ww 480 last worked for NZR on the West Coast and then bought by the Railway Enthusiasts Society in 1969. The locomotive was re-numbered GVR No. 1, and worked for many years on the Glenbrook Vintage Railway. To recreate a better working example of a New Zealand branch line, the former NZR identity was again given to the locomotive. The steam engine runs round its train in Waiuku. [Jan 2019].