Auckland’s new City Rail Link has hit the ground running, with more than half a million train boardings recorded during its first week of passenger services.
Official figures show 528,007 boardings were recorded across Auckland’s rail network between Sunday 13 September and Saturday 19 September — the busiest seven-day period in the network’s history.
The result eclipsed the previous record of 504,380 boardings set in March 2019 and represented a dramatic jump from the 325,203 boardings recorded in the week immediately before the CRL opened.
Passenger numbers peaked on Thursday with 85,289 boardings, while opening day attracted 56,757 trips. During the working week, train punctuality and reliability generally remained in the mid-to-high 90 percent range.
The 3.45-kilometre City Rail Link has transformed Waitematā from a terminating station into part of a through-running network, alongside the new Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape stations and the redeveloped Maungawhau Station.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown say the first-week numbers are an encouraging sign Aucklanders are embracing the new network, with the focus now shifting to maintaining reliability and building long-term patronage.
After years of construction, disruption and debate over the multibillion-dollar project, the first week suggests Aucklanders are wasting little time putting their new railway to work.
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