New Lynn railway station

New Lynn railway station is on the Western Line of the Auckland railway network, New Zealand, and is part of an integrated transport centre where transfers can be made to and from bus services. A redeveloped station in a new rail trench was opened on 25 September 2010.^[3] LynnMall, a major shopping mall, is close by.

New Lynn
Auckland Transport Urban rail
The New Lynn railway station in 2022
General information
Location	New Lynn
Coordinates	36.90939°S 174.68408°E / -36.90939; 174.68408
Owned by	KiwiRail (track and platforms) Auckland Transport (buildings)
Operated by	Auckland One Rail
Line(s)	Western Line
Platforms	Island platform
Tracks	Mainline (2)
Construction
Platform levels	1
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes (Lifts)
Other information
Station code	NLY
Fare zone	Isthmus/Waitakere (overlap)
History
Opened	1880
Rebuilt	2008
Electrified	25 kV AC[1]
Passengers
CY 2018	1,520,640[2]
Services
Preceding station Auckland Transport (Auckland One Rail) Following station Avondale towards Waitematā Western Line Fruitvale Road towards Swanson

History

• 1880, March: Opens as one of the original stations on the North Auckland Line.^[4]
• 1983, March: The Auckland Regional Authority decides to relocate the station east, to the other side of the Rankin Avenue-Totara Avenue-Clark Street road intersection and adjacent to the bus station, despite the uncertain future of Auckland suburban services.^[5]
• 1987, August: The old station building is demolished after vandals broke in and damaged it.^[6]
• 2006, December: Double-tracking between New Lynn and Avondale is approved by the central government; the $120 million package includes a 1 km long, 8m deep trench to carry the tracks, and a new station with below-ground platforms. Trenching the tracks means that they will no longer pass directly through the Rankin Avenue-Totara Avenue-Clark Street road intersection, removing a source of traffic congestion and the potential for collisions.^[7]
• 2008, March: The station platform is demolished and a temporary platform constructed to make way for the rail trench earthworks.
• 2010, 1 March: Trains begin running in the trench on a single track.^[3]
• 2010, 29 April: The first steam train runs in the trench, Ja 1275 on the Northlander to Whangārei.
• 2010, 8 June: Trains begin running through the trench on two tracks, completing the Western Line Double Tracking Project.
• 2010, 24 September: The station is officially opened by the Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand.
• 2012, April–June: The station shelters are transformed and a glass encased stairwell shelter is put into place due to high patronage use.^[8]

Rail trench

New Lynn Rail Corridor, a relief sculpture by Louise Purvis

In the late 2000s, local and regional government, as part of the revitalising of the regional rail commuter network, decided to build a new "feature station" at New Lynn, which included sinking the tracks and station into a trench.^[9] Road was grade-separated from rail to enable vehicle traffic to pass over the line.^[9] Before the trenching works, the level crossings in the town centre were often blocked by passing trains, leading to substantial road congestion, which would have only increased with more train services.^[7]

The new rail trench and associated sunken station were to be constructed with up to 16m deep diaphragm walls using specially imported cranes and specialists. This was required due to the unstable, water-logged soils and the need to avoid settlement damage to close by buildings. The procedure to construct the 1 km of trench (with finished depth of up to 8m) involved multiple temporary shifts of the railway line and of various associated roads, and was called the most difficult part of the DART railway development programme in Auckland.^[10] Wet ground conditions had also forced a redesign of the trench methods, and delayed the project start by six months.^[3]

Services

Bus routes 14, 18, 22N, 24B, 24R, 68, 191, 149, 152, 154, 161, 162, 170, 171, 172, 186, 195 and 670 travel to the bus-train interchange at New Lynn, directly adjacent to the station.^[11]

See also

• List of Auckland railway stations
• Public transport in Auckland

References

1. "Auckland Electrifcation Map" (PDF). KiwiRail. September 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
2. Auckland Transport. "Boardings and Alightings All Stations for Calendar Year 2018". FYI.org.nz. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
3. Dearnaley, Mathew (26 February 2010). "Rail-trench opening will ease travel for motorists". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
4. Scoble, Juliet (2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
5. Rails magazine, April 1983, p.19
6. Rails magazine, September 1987, p.41
7. Dearnaley, Mathew (20 December 2006). "Rail trench saviour for New Lynn shopping centre". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
8. Mathew Dearnaley (25 September 2010). "Governor General slams Auckland's traffic congestion". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
9. Major Makeover In Store For New Lynn Rail Station Archived 13 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine (from the ARTA newsletter, February 2009. Accessed 2009-03-27.)
10. New New Lynn's Look - e.nz magazine, IPENZ, September/October 2008, Page 27-31
11. "Western Guide" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 27 April 2021.