The City Rail Link (CRL) is New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project ever.
Twin 3.45km rail tunnels up to 42m underground between Waitematā Station (Britomart) and Maungawhau Stations
Two new underground stations -midtown Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape with entrances at Mercury Lane and Beresford Square
Waitematā Station (Britomart) redeveloped into a two-way through station
Maungawhau Station redeveloped to include the new CRL line and a modern station building
Wider rail network improvements including The Strand, Ōtāhuhu and Newmarket
Provision for longer nine-car electric trains
More people friendly spaces around the city.
CRL will be added to AT’s rail network.
Construction of the stations and supporting rail infrastructure is now expected to be completed by our construction partners, the Link Alliance, by November 2025.
Once CRL is constructed, we need to test everything before it can open.
There are a huge range of systems that need to be tested on the CRL, from signalling for the trains to running the air conditioning in the stations.
Testing everything is a complex operation that will take months. Not only does each system need to work as planned, but all the systems need to work together in integration
Following the end of our construction programme, we hand over the completed infrastructure to KiwiRail and Auckland Transport. Auckland Transport is responsible for the region’s public transport service. It will be responsible for determining the routes and new timetables. It is expected to open in 2026.
Route Map
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Journey To CRL -Testing the new systems
Before passengers can use CRL, we need to carry out a huge programme of testing in conjunction with our partners.
This is to ensure all the new systems are working together and are seamlessly integrated into Auckland’s existing rail network.
Follow the progress.
Explore the project
Auckland is going through a period of unprecedented change as we grow to embrace the future.
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