{"id":18502,"date":"2026-09-14T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T18:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/?p=18502"},"modified":"2026-09-14T06:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T18:00:10","slug":"aucklands-city-rail-link-goes-into-action-for-first-rush-hour-after-incredible-opening-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/?p=18502","title":{"rendered":"Auckland’s City Rail Link goes into action for first rush hour after ‘incredible’ opening day"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After decades of waiting<\/a>, delays, cost blowouts and disruption<\/a>, Aucklander commuters finally got to ride on the new City Rail Link on Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And today commuters see try out brand new rail link in morning rush hour.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The $5.5 billion project has brought two new underground train stations, and turned Waitemata station from a dead-end into a two-way thoroughfare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It has been touted as a game-changer for Auckland, helping to move more people around the city and reduce car dependence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On opening day, more than 400 people turned out at \u014ct\u0101huhu station Before 5am to be on the first train to travel through the City Rail Link.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Politicians, train nerds, and advocates alike were crammed in to the carriages, and as the new tunnel drew nearer, the excitement was growing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Chants of “tunnel, tunnel, tunnel” rang out through the train, and a cheer went up as it entered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Chris<\/div>
Chris Bishop in a crowded train carriage on the opening day of the CRL.<\/p>\n

RNZ \/ Edward Gay<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Taylor Parker, 23, arrived at 3.40am in \u014ct\u0101huhu to be the first person in the queue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“This is incredible. It is like the harbour bridge opening but for the younger generation. It’s truly a once in a lifetime.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As the day drew on, thousands travelled through the new tunnels and stations at Karangahape road and Te Waihorotiu in mid town, which had entrances on Victoria and Wellesley streets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Bryce Ongley was checking out the new stations with his two kids.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Yeah nah, they’ve really enjoyed it. It’s kind of like space age – out of this world when you come down here and see it, eh? All lit up.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His daughter Frankie was also impressed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“They’re very cool and very big, and I love them and I think it’s my favourite one. Because it’s in the city and I love the city.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sarah<\/div>
Sarah Woodfield on the train on the first public day for the CRL.<\/p>\n

RNZ \/ Luka Forman<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Cyclist Sarah Woodfield said the new stations and tunnels would help her get more places on her bike, and give people more options for getting around.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“No city ever solved its traffic problems by building more roads. So public transport being a good option is really great for everyone.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kate Millington lived in Mount Eden, and said the new stations reminded her of Sydney where she used to live.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“It’s bloody amazing. I use the trains a lot, and I timed myself from home to the Maungawhau station, and rather than taking 20 minutes to get to Kingsland it took me seven.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Manukau Ward Councillor Alf Filipaina said the CRL would help connect South Auckland with the rest of the city.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“It’s a matter of getting off the roads, using the train when they can. And having the ability from south-side to come all the way into town.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"First<\/div>
First train from Manukau to Swanson on CRL\u2019s first day.<\/p>\n

RNZ \/ Lucy XIa<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Patrick Reynolds – director of advocacy at charity Greater Auckland – said despite the excitement, a more joined-up rail network would become the new normal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Instead of a train full of very tired nerds. This will just be every day, it’ll be completely ordinary. Getting the train is just a thing you’ll do.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The opening day was not without an issue – a small fire at Waitemata station caused by a lighting cable early in the day created delays and cancellations across the network – but things were back on track by about noon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Auckland Transport chief executive Stacy van der Putten said the disruption was disappointing<\/a>, but she was impressed with how crews responded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Time will tell whether there are any other kinks to iron out in the first days and weeks of the new network.<\/p>\n

rnz<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After decades of waiting, delays, cost blowouts and disruption, Aucklander commuters finally got to ride on the new City Rail Link on Sunday. And today commuters see try out brand new rail link in morning rush hour. The $5.5 billion project has brought two new underground train stations, and turned Waitemata station from a dead-end […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":18503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[222,174],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-nz-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18504,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18502\/revisions\/18504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}