The Avondale–Southdown Line is a proposed railway line between Avondale and Southdown in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, New Zealand. One of its main functions would be to remove north–south freight trains from the section of the Auckland rail system that has the most passenger traffic.

Proposals

The

Auckland Regional Transport Authority The Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) was the central co-ordinating agency for transport (especially but not only public transport) in the Auckland Region of New Zealand from 2004 to 2010. In this role, ARTA provided public transport s ...

's ''Rail Development Plan 2006'' included the line in its long-term vision for Auckland's rail network, however, there has been little development work on the project, and it may not be completed until 2030. It is currently envisaged that the line is most likely to be built between 2031 and 2040.

Route

The line would connect the Western Line just east of Avondale Train Station with the Southern Line at Auckland Freight Centre, Southdown. The reopening in 2010 of the

Onehunga Branch The Onehunga Branch railway line is a section of the Onehunga Line in Auckland, New Zealand. It was constructed by the Auckland Province, Auckland Provincial Government and opened from Penrose Train Station, Penrose to Onehunga Train Station ...

to passenger traffic may make it more feasible for the line to connect with that branch in Onehunga township. New Zealand Railways Corporation owns most of the corridor for the line, which follows

Oakley Creek Oakley Creek ( mi, Te Auaunga) is a creek in Auckland, New Zealand. While heavily human-modified (being surrounded for most of its length by suburban development, especially in the upper reaches), it has a number of important ecological feature ...

and part of the State Highway 20 corridor. The SH20 extension from

Hillsborough Hillsborough may refer to: Australia *Hillsborough, New South Wales, a suburb of Lake Macquarie Canada *Hillsborough, New Brunswick *Hillsborough Parish, New Brunswick * Hillsborough, Nova Scotia, in Inverness County *Hillsborough (electoral d ...

Mount Roskill Mount Roskill is a suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is named for the volcanic peak Puketāpapa (commonly called "Mount Roskill" in English). Description The suburb, named after the Mount, is located seven kilometres to ...

made provision for the line's construction. The line would cross over the entrance to the

SH20 Waterview Connection The Waterview Connection is a motorway section through west/central Auckland, New Zealand. It connects State Highway 20 in the south at Mt Roskill to State Highway 16 in the west at Point Chevalier, and is a part of the Western Ring Route. ...

KiwiRail KiwiRail Holdings Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise responsible for rail operations in New Zealand, and operates inter-island ferries. Trading as KiwiRail and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, KiwiRail is the largest Rail t ...

has reached an agreement with the

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (commonly known as Waka Kotahi, and abbreviated as NZTA) is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing, a ...

over a land swap needed for a realignment of the highway and railway corridors. Another proposal exists to connect the Onehunga Branch at Galway Street to the Avondale—Southdown line by building a tunnel under Onehunga Mall to meet Hugh Watt Drive (State Highway 20) before connecting to the proposed route at Hillsborough.

Study

In May 2007, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) announced that it had formed a study group with ONTRACK to investigate the feasibility and costs for the section between Captain Springs Road in Southdown and Hillsborough Road in Mount Roskill.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avondale-Southdown Line Proposed railway lines in New Zealand Public transport in Auckland Rail transport in Auckland

Proposals

Route

Study

See also

References