Why Avondale to Southdown is Auckland’s missing limb

The Avondale to Southdown Rail Corridor – often called ‘Auckland’s missing limb’ – has been reserved for rail since the 1940s – and with the route now needed to meet future capacity and connectivity requirements, KiwiRail has begun a comprehensive planning process to bring the corridor to life.

Once complete, the corridor will free up inner city capacity for passenger trains; integrate seamlessly with bus routes; and connect communities across the isthmus. But its impact will extend far beyond the realm of transport.

As Gwyneth MacLeod, General Manager of Metro Investment Strategy at KiwiRail points out, the project will have economic benefits, both locally and throughout neighbouring regions.

Ahead of the New Zealand Rail Conference, we spoke with Gwyneth to find out more.

Part of a 30-year strategic plan

The project forms part of a 30-year strategic plan for the Auckland network, jointly developed between KiwiRail and Auckland Transport, which aims to boost the capability of rail in an integrated transport network.

Without the Avondale – Southdown corridor, many of the wider programme benefits could not be achieved.

“The corridor will provide a linkage that effectively redesigns Upper North Island rail. Along with the Golden Triangle Electrification Project, and Marsden Point Rail link, the Avondale-Southdown corridor creates a more efficient main trunk railway route that runs all the way from Tauranga and Wellington through Hamilton around Auckland and up to Whangarei, bypassing the centre of Auckland.

“It is no less significant for the metro rail network in Auckland and will enable major new connectivity and integration options. It’s that missing link that will unlock access to the whole network, not just in Auckland, but in the wider region.”

As a mixed mode network, the corridor will also deliver more value from public funds.

“We’re a comparatively small country and not as densely populated as others, so the idea of single-use infrastructure is beyond what we can afford, or truly need,” Gwyneth said.

“This all ties together to create one big long-term picture of what the future rail network and the Upper North Island needs to look like – not only in terms of connectivity, but in terms of resilience and reliability.”

Development potential

The corridor will spur development across the city, with its touchpoints among the few areas across Auckland with unrestricted developmental potential.

Gwyneth said this will have wider knock-on benefits for residents – one of the most promising of which is an uptick in achievable housing intensification, including around new stations.

“A cross-isthmus rail line would enhance access to employment and education opportunities, making the location even more desirable for young people. In turn, this will create opportunities for younger demographics to get onto the property ladder – more apartments and town houses, for example,” she said.

“It will enable people to cross Auckland on rapid public transport, without all being forced through the city centre, as well as providing new routes into the city centre by rail”.

Investment potential

As urban development takes off, the corridor is also expected to draw private investors into the city – and the corridor will be a beneficiary. Gwyneth believes the land – and KiwiRail’s long-standing ownership of it – makes the corridor a unique proposition.

“We’ve owned the land since the 1940s and have always intended to use it for passenger and freight rail services. Our predecessors had a lot of foresight. They set the land aside and it’s been there waiting for us. Once we’re given the thumbs up to build on it, we can do so quickly.

“This also means the potential for government to get a return and its share of value uplift already exists. It’s doesn’t have to compete with the market and can potentially get more Crown holdings around the corridor. So it’s in a fairly strong position.

“Not to mention, the land itself is highly valuable. It runs across central Auckland – not just the far reaches, but right through the central isthmus. With the urban development that’s expecting to stimulate, we hope investors will be interested.

“Obviously their interest is more likely to be on the Urban Development part than on the railway itself, but this is a package that brings transport and urban development together in a coherent and planned way.”

Next steps

Despite its potential benefits, Gwyneth said the project will need “a lot of buy-in” and that she won’t be sleeping on her engagement strategy.

“Big projects like this always need political support, which is natural enough when you’re talking about very large sums of money,” she said.

“It’s our job now to create enough information about the opportunity for public and private sectors alike to invest.”

Gwyneth will be speaking at the New Zealand Rail Conference in October, alongside Walter Rushbrook, KiwiRail’s Programme Director – North Island Investments.

In addition to discussing Avondale-Southdown, they’ll be talking about electrification of the Golden Triangle, and environmental and economic benefits of bringing sustainable energy to the lines between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga. They’ll also touch on the Marsden Point Rail Spur and how the trio of projects together transforms upper North Island rail, each playing its part in the bigger picture for future rail development.

Learn more and register your tickets here.

About Gwyneth

Gwyneth MacLeod has over 25 years of experience in transport infrastructure, investment, and commercial strategy.  She has worked for top strategy and professional services firms in the UK and Europe, specialising in strategy consulting, corporate finance, transactions advisory, economic regulation, capital planning, and infrastructure strategy.

Gwyneth joined KiwiRail in 2020 to establish and lead the Strategic Metro Investments function, where she has been responsible for driving strategic planning and investment in rail infrastructure for the Auckland and Wellington metro networks.  She has held key governance roles in related sectors and promotes a unified perspective on the broader purpose and economic value of infrastructure investment.