North Auckland Line

North Auckland Line
Whangārei railway yard in 2012
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerKiwiRail (Westfield Junction to Otiria Junction)
Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (Kawakawa to Taumarere)
LocaleNorthland, New Zealand
Termini
Service
TypeCommuter rail, rail freight
SystemKiwiRail
Operator(s)Auckland One Rail (Westfield Junction to Swanson)
KiwiRail (Westfield Junction to Otiria Junction)
Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (Kawakawa to Taumarere)
History
Opened1868-03-02 (Kawakawa to Taumarere)
1884-04-07 (Taumarere to Opua)
1880-03-29 (Newmarket to Glen Eden)
1880-12-21 (Glen Eden to Henderson)
1881-07-13 (Henderson to Helensville)
1925-11-29 (line completed)
Technical
Line length284.13 km
Number of tracksDouble track (Westfield to Swanson)
Single track (Swanson to Otiria Junction)
CharacterUrban, rural
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Electrification25 kV AC (Westfield to Swanson)
Route map

km
length
in m
298.96
Opua
281.30
Otiria
277.02
Pokapu
270.24
Opahi
Kauri Timber Co.
tramway (c.1915–22)
266.87
Motatau
261.84
Taikirau
258.60
Maromaku
253.87
Towai
250.83
Akerama
246.83
Hūkerenui
243.95
Waiotu
239.10
Whakapara
237.77
Otonga
233.56
Waro
231.83
Hikurangi
226.42
Kauri
Fonterra
Kauri
dairy factory
221.14
Kamo
216.52
Mair
214.63
Town Hall
(railcar stop)
213.51
Whangārei
203.77
Portland
199.80
Oakleigh
195.07
Mangapai
188.22
Tauraroa
179.51
Waiotira
Waikiekie Tunnel
240
173.87
Waikiekie
Mareretu Tunnel
334
168.49
Taipuha
70
163.68
Mareretu
Golden Stairs Tunnel
604
156.81
Paparoa
Huarau Tunnel
343
154.37
Huarau
150.55
Maungaturoto
Bickerstaffe Tunnel
481
148.55
Bickerstaffe
313
143.61
Ranganui
139.66
Kaiwaka
Ross Hill Tunnel
342
131.91
Topuni
120
Topuni Tunnel
153
125.39
Te Hana
120.13
Wellsford
Hoteo River bridges
50
90
50
 
Hoteo Tunnel
503
105.06
Kaipara Flats
100.15
Woodcocks
Ahuroa Tunnel
389
70
96.13
Ahuroa
Tāhekeroa Tunnel
447
88.39
Tāhekeroa
83.24
Makarau
Makarau Tunnel
573
78.46
Kanohi
75.02
Kaukapakapa
72.16
Punganui
69.22
Mount Rex
66.36
Helensville
65.66
Helensville South
63.68
Ohirangi
61.28
Wharepapa
57.92
Woodhill
55.35
Rewiti
51.19
Waimauku
47.07
Huapai
44.88
Kumeū
39.81
Taupaki
36.62
Waitakere
Waitakere Tunnel
274
32.69
Swanson
limit of
suburban services
30.40
Ranui
28.55
Sturges Road
27.08
Henderson Bus interchange
25.46
Sunnyvale
23.15
Glen Eden
21.35
Fruitvale Road
20.24
New Lynn Bus interchange
17.52
Avondale
15.81
Mount Albert
14.78
Baldwin Avenue
13.45
Morningside
12.48
Kingsland
11.13
Maungawhau
10.00
Grafton
8.53
Newmarket
7.46
Remuera
5.99
Greenlane
4.62
Ellerslie
3.17
Penrose
Southdown Freight Centre
0.00
km
length
in m
Map
Map

The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, westward to Waitakere; from there, northward to Otiria via Whangārei. The first section was opened in 1868 and the line was completed in 1925. The line, or sections of it, have been known at various times as the Kaipara Line, the Waikato-Kaipara Line, the Kaipara Branch and the North Auckland Main Trunk.[1]

North Auckland Line is a designation for the section of track, not a service route. The southernmost portion from Westfield Junction to Newmarket was originally built as part of the North Island Main Trunk railway, with Newmarket serving as the junction of the two lines. The North Island Main Trunk was re-routed in 1930 via the Westfield Deviation through Glen Innes and Panmure. Westfield-Newmarket was then incorporated into the North Auckland Line,[2] and Newmarket-Auckland became the Newmarket Line, which today connects the North Auckland Line to Waitematā railway station.

Three passenger lines of Auckland's suburban rail network make use of the North Auckland Line. Southern Line services travel on it between Westfield Junction and Newmarket Station. Onehunga Line services travel on it between Penrose Station and Newmarket Station. Western Line services travel on it between Swanson Station and Newmarket Station.

The North Auckland Line previously continued to Opua in the Bay of Islands, with the section from Otiria to Opua sometimes known as the Opua Branch.[3] It is now owned by the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway but regular operations were suspended in 2001, with resumption on a short section of the line in 2008.

The North Auckland Line was under review as part of KiwiRail's turnaround plan. In 2020, the government announced $109.7 million for upgrades to the line, focussing on rebuilding and lowering the floors of 13 tunnels[4] along the line to enable hi-cube containers.[5] A container terminal is to be built at Otiria.[6] A new branch line, the Marsden Point Branch, will serve Northport, a deepwater port at Marsden Point, by diverging from the North Auckland Line south of Whangarei at Oakleigh.[4]

In 2023 the NAL was expected to be out of action to at least June after floods in January; (see 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods), and it was announced that KiwiRail was "progressing" the business case for the new Marsden Branch.[7]

  1. ^ Haydock 2014, p. 24.
  2. ^ Yonge 1985, p. 3.
  3. ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 96.
  4. ^ a b "Northland rail rejuvenation". KiwiRail. Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Government to buy land for rail to Northport and Marsden Point". Radio New Zealand. 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Northland Rail Upgrade". The Linesider: 55. September 2020. ISSN 2703-6197.
  7. ^ "New Marsden Point rail link one step closer but costs still not revealed". Stuff (Fairfax). 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.