Auckland Power Feeds

We are working to upgrade the Auckland Metro Network to ensure it is ready for when the City Rail Link opens and more electric trains are running. Adding more power feeds in Auckland will increase the networks resilience and allow for future growth of the wider network.

To complement the existing power feeds at Penrose and Westfield, we are building a new power feed in West Auckland. Once complete, it will allow for smaller sections of the network to be shut down while we complete maintenance works, reducing disruption, and provides back up to ensure passenger trains can continue to run if another power feed is offline.

We are building the Western Power Feed on KiwiRail land, near Glen Eden station by Singer Park. Enabling works are currently underway ahead of main construction beginning in mid-2024. Our team is currently completing early earthworks at the site to create a secure foundation for the new power feed.

To get power to the new power feed, Vector is installing two cables to bring 33 kV from Transpower’s Hepburn Road Substation to the new KiwiRail site. Their contractor, Te Aratika Infrastructure Ltd, will complete works from the intersection of West Coast Road and Woodglen Road. The works will continue along West Coast Road, Glenview Road, to Great North Road and finish before Hepburn Road.

New Static Frequency Converter technology (SFC) will be used for the first time instead of conventional transformers. Using this new technology allows us to convert the 33kV power to the 25kVpower we use to power electric trains. It will enable increased train frequency without major upgrades to our existing infrastructure.

Once the SFCs are in place, tall specialist walls will be erected around them and a new switch building installed nearby. It will take approximately six months to install the SFCs, before system testing and commissioning begins. We expect the new power feed to be fully operational in 2025.