Auckland railway electrification

A new AM class electric multiple unit at Puhinui in 2013, introduced as part of railway electrification in Auckland.

Auckland railway electrification occurred in phases as part of investment in a new infrastructure for Auckland's urban railway network. Electrification of the network had been proposed for several decades. Installation started in the late 2000s after funds were approved from a combination of regional (Auckland Regional Council, later Auckland Council) and central government (NZ Transport Agency) budgets.

In the 2007 budget, the government announced that Auckland suburban railway lines from Swanson in the west to Papakura in the south and including the Manukau and Onehunga branch lines would be electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz AC. Diesel DMU services would remain for Waitakere and perhaps Huapai and Pukekohe. A 2013 announcement said that because of cost, bus services would remain between Waitakere and Swanson, and did not mention an extension to Huapai. The $80 million contract for the electrification infrastructure was awarded on 14 January 2010 to an Australian and New Zealand consortium (HILOR); Hawkins Infrastructure of Parnell and Laing O'Rourke of Australia. Between Papakura, Newmarket, Britomart and Swanson there were 196 single-track kilometres. The overhead infrastructure design was to be based on Balfour Beatty's 3B English design.[1][2][3] The contract for 57 3-car EMUs was awarded on 6 October 2011 to Spanish manufacturer CAF.[4]

The first public electric service was on 28 April 2014 on the Onehunga Line.[5] Since July 2015, all services have been electric with the exception of Papakura to Pukekohe, which until 2022 ran as a diesel shuttle service, and Swanson to Waitakere, which runs a rail replacement bus service.

Electrification from Papakura to Pukekohe has long been proposed, but in the interim, Auckland Council intended to buy trains equipped with batteries (BEMU) that would have extended electric unit services to Pukekohe.[6] However this plan was abandoned following the 2017 general election. [7] The rationale for this became clear in late April 2018 when electrification between Papakura and Pukekohe was announced as part of the $28 billion Auckland Transport Alignment Project.[8][9] The New Zealand Upgrade Programme announced on 30 January 2020 included $371 million for Papakura to Pukekohe electrification. [10] [11] Work began in 2022 and was completed in August 2024. [12]

  1. ^ The Electrification of Auckland’s Suburban Railway by Ken Haydock: Part 4 in New Zealand Railfan, March 2015 page 50: Volume 21 No 2
  2. ^ "Auckland Electrification". 13 August 2019. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  3. ^ "KiwiRail awards Auckland rail electrification contract". Radio New Zealand. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  4. ^ "Train contract heralds new era in public transport". Auckland Transport Press Release. 6 October 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  5. ^ "'Stunning' electric trains launched - but soon face delays". The New Zealand Herald. 28 April 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Electric-battery multiple-units planned for Auckland". Railway Gazette. 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Auckland's battery trains sidelined for $133m electric train deal". 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  8. ^ "What you need to know about the $28b Auckland Transport Alignment Project". 26 April 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  9. ^ "$28 billion funding package for Auckland roading and public transport projects unveiled". The New Zealand Herald. 26 April 2018. Archived from the original on 11 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Electric rail link will connect Pukekohe with the rest of Auckland". Stuff (Fairfax). 9 May 2018. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Govts infrastructure announcement where will the money be spent". Stuff (Fairfax). 29 January 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Major construction milestones achieved in Papakura to Pukekohe electrification project". KiwiRail. Retrieved 2 September 2024.