The new, improved Ellerslie train station has been officially opened in central Auckland following an $8m upgrade involving the NZ Transport Agency, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail.
Auckland’s Mayor Len Brown led the ribbon cutting celebration at the station accompanied by executives from the NZTA, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail and the project’s contractors.
Mr Brown says the upgrade of the 138-year-old station is focused very much on Auckland’s transport future.
“This is a timely upgrade for the Ellerslie Station, as we move towards electrification, new electric trains and a fully integrated transport network. Today marks another significant milestone on that journey,” says Mr Brown.
The improved station is safer, more attractive and gives better access for mobility users and pedestrians.
The work included reducing the existing platform by two metres, and shifting the rail tracks to give space for developments on the Southern Motorway (SH1).
The rail overbridge has also been raised so that electric trains can pass underneath.
While the new station will benefit commuters immediately, the project lays the foundation for longer term improvements, says the NZTA’s State Highways Manager for Auckland and Northland, Tommy Parker.
“Shifting the station gives us the room to add extra capacity on the motorway between Ellerslie and Greenlane at a later date. Creating that space would have been more challenging once this section of the rail network had been electrified,” Mr Parker said.
