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5 Sep 2025, by Amy Sarcevic
The City Rail Link (CRL) in New Zealand has been hailed a transformational project, that will alter the way people live and work in Auckland.
By improving connectivity, travel times, and access to key CBD locations, the project – due to open in 2026 – is expected to grow rail patronage, in turn, driving down the city’s deteriorating congestion and emission figures.
But, with construction costs scaling millions of dollars, and disruptions felt city-wide, how will organisers ensure the CRL lives up to preconceptions and delivers on its lofty promise?
Ahead of the New Zealand Rail Conference, we spoke with Chief Executive Patrick Brockie to find out.
Unlocking the city
At the heart of the project’s rationale was a need to unlock areas of the city that were previously awkward to access.
To this end, the project is building a 3.45 km double track tunnel; two new central underground stations; and two major station upgrades.
One of these is the conversion of Waitematā station – formerly Britomart – from a terminus station into a through station, which will open up Downtown Auckland.
“At the moment, trains come into Waitematā station and go back out again,” Patrick said.
“There’s no through station ability or tunnel beneath the CBD. So, we have built a tunnel which goes under some major buildings– a new shopping centre at Commercial Bay, for example.
“The tunnel will travel beneath Commercial Bay and then up through the central business district to some other key locations.
“We expect this will be transformational, because it essentially gives you access to the full CBD, whereas now it’s just dead-end.”
In addition, the new Maungawhau station – formerly Mount Eden – will unlock large swathes of the CBD, by serving as an interchange between the CRL and Western Line.
“It will have four platforms and enable for seamless integration between the two networks, helping people move around the city with more ease,” Patrick said.
Development opportunities
The expansion of Maungawhau creates opportunities for urban densification, with Auckland Council already allowing buildings up to fifteen storeys in height to be built around the stations.
“The stations are creating some significant commercial opportunities,” Patrick said.
“The certainty of decisions around building consents seem to reflect that, and we expect the momentum to continue once we open.”
Improved quality of life
Like many major cities around the world, commuters in Auckland face traffic and parking challenges – but without a full rail option, many still prefer their car.
Patrick believes the CRL will entice more people to rail, in line with similar projects around the world. In turn, it will give Aucklanders a better quality of life.
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but we have seen, globally, how similar infrastructure projects have met – and often exceeded – patronage forecasts,” he said.
“With the CRL, people will be able to get around the city more economically and with greater ease, making it a preferred option over private vehicle usage.
“In turn, we will see shorter journey times, less noise and air pollution as more people migrate to rail.”
Road users will also benefit from greater rail uptake, with the CRL expected to spur further level crossing removals.
“It will shorten journey times for road users and the rail system,” Patrick said.
Increased productivity
The CRL is also expected to unlock significant economic benefits for Auckland, as revealed by a cost benefit analysis that took place early in the planning phase.
“There can be long travel times in Auckland, especially if you’re travelling from South Auckland into the CBD and beyond. Less time spent on travel means more time being productive, which unlocks a lot of economic benefits for Auckland,” Patrick said.
“In New Zealand, 97 percent of our businesses are SMEs, so having extra time to focus on productivity gains will make a big difference.”
Overcoming challenges
While the rationale for CRL may be clear, the project has not been without challenges. Inner city disruptions,workforce and supply chain challenges, have all impacted construction deadlines.
“Building a project in the middle of a CBD is incredibly difficult, no matter which city you are in, and Auckland is no different. Restricting road and footpath access is always going to be challenging for local business,” Patrick said.
“In our case, the works have also required significant blocks of line, closing down all or part of the metro network, so that’s been another big disruption for residents.”
The City Rail Link project is also still feeling the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns, years after they came to an end.
“Aside from our tunnel boring machine, which kept running, pandemic lockdowns were very disruptive to our works – they brought delays, supply chain challenges and increased costs.
“During the pandemic, it was challenging to get specialist skills into the country and then container and shipping costs went up significantly over that same period. So, the whole supply chain was problematic.”
Further insight
Sharing more on this landmark project, Patrick will present at the upcoming New Zealand Rail Conference, held 22 – 23 October 2025 at the Aotea Centre, Auckland.
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