Avondale to Southdown Rail Corridor

Since the 1940’s KiwiRail has owned land which is designated for rail and forms a corridor that runs from Avondale to Southdown (near Onehunga). This has always been intended to be developed for both passenger and freight rail in the future.

Auckland isthmus rail network, Avondale-Southdown corridor shown in red

This potential development is currently unfunded but is a key element of Auckland’s future rail network. It also forms an essential part of the 30-year strategic plan for the Auckland network jointly developed between KiwiRail and Auckland Transport, without which many of the programme benefits (e.g. southern and western corridors) could not be achieved.

‘Avondale to Southdown’ was also named in the Government’s recently released fast track consents list.

Benefits

Alongside many economic benefits, a cross-isthmus rail line would:

provide easy rail access to the city centre in two possible directions (east and west) – access to routes into the city via eastern, western, and southern lines and City Rail Link
enable better efficiency for freight services and free up inner city capacity for passenger trains
integrate with existing bus routes, providing direct north-south connections to the city
provide alternative routes when there are necessary maintenance or upgrade shutdowns on other parts of the network
connect communities across the isthmus, improving accessibility and travel times.
create development potential – one of the few areas of the city with such unrestricted development opportunities create more opportunities for younger demographics with growing availability of more affordable housing options, such as apartments and town houses). A cross-isthmus rail line would enhance access to employment and education opportunities, making the location even more desirable for young people.
The corridor and its benefits are not solely about Auckland. The Avondale to Southdown corridor also unlocks network access and benefits for neighbouring regions and the wider New Zealand economy.

The corridor and its associated benefits extend far beyond Auckland’s boundaries contributing to the economic prosperity of neighbouring regions and the wider New Zealand economy.

You can find out more about our 30 year Strategic Rail Programme and how the Avondale to Southdown corridor fits into it here: www.kiwirail.co.nz/our-network/our-regions/amp/strategic-rail-programme/

Next steps

The development of a new transport corridor requires a comprehensive planning process, extending over several years before any physical construction can start. Across the next 18-24 months our next steps include:

Safeguarding the existing corridor designation – this ensures the project’s long-term viability.
Engagement with local stakeholders to understand wider community perspectives.
Developing a high-level vision for the corridor development that fosters a shared understanding of the project’s opportunities and benefits.

Further information/reading

As the current stages of the project progress, we aim to share some of the information as it develops via the links below.