City Rail Link

About the project

The City Rail Link (CRL) is the largest transport infrastructure project ever to be undertaken in New Zealand and will deliver a modern rail system for our growing international city.

The 3.45 kilometre twin-tunnel underground rail link will unlock our public transport network and transform the way we travel around our city. When CRL opens, Aucklanders will have new world-class stations and an integrated rail service that will benefit the entire transport network for decades to come.

The new underground will transform Waitematā Station (Britomart) from a dead-end stop, to a two-way station - allowing trains to run efficiently in both directions, to and from the city centre.

The tunnels begin at Waitematā Station (Britomart) and run up Albert Street to a new Te Waihorotiu Station with entrances on Victoria and Wellesley Streets, then on to a new Karanga-a-Hape Station with entrances on Mercury Lane and Beresford square. CRL will then rise to join the Western Line at Maungawhau. Wider rail network improvements are also taking place at Parnell, Otahuhu, Henderson and Newmarket.

What’s involved

CRL delivering significant benefits for Auckland:

• A train at least every ten minutes in peak – just turn up and go!

• More trains in and out of the city more often

• Significant travel time savings

• New and improved connections

• Double the number of people within 30 minutes travel of New Zealand's biggest employment hub

• Eases congestion on our roads with a viable alternative to driving

• Significant commercial and residential development opportunities around the stations

• Attractive public spaces around CRL stations

• Reduced bus congestion in the city centre

• Job creation for up to 2,000 people during the construction peak

• Quicker trips across the city; from Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station it will only take three minutes to get to the uptown Karanga-a-Hape Station, six minutes to the midtown Te Waihorotiu Station and nine minutes to the downtown Waitematā Station (Britomart). 

Dates

The CRL is currently under construction. Construction is due to be completed November 2025 and it's expected to open to passengers in 2026. 

Further Information

For more information on this project, visit City Rail Link website.

For the latest CRL work construction notifications in your area, visit City Rail Link website.

For the latest information on the proposed station names visit City Rail Link website.

Delivered by

City Rail Link Ltd