Eastern Line, Auckland
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Line in Auckland, New Zealand is the name given to Auckland suburban (northern) part of the North Island Main Trunk. Suburban services are operated by Veolia
under the MAXX
brand. Just recently it had an upgrade with the new Sylvia Park station
.
A small reclamation had been made in the early 1920s 2 km out of Queen Street into Mechanics Bay
for goods yards and maintenance sheds. The remaining 14 km section was built between 1924 and 1930 by the Public Works Department
as part of general improvements to Auckland's rail network. The Purewa Tunnel
, a major engineering work halfway between the city and Glen Innes, was built in the mid 1920s by miners that were experienced from working on the construction of the North Auckland Line. The construction and opening of this line coincided with the then new Auckland Railway Station
.
The section from Mechanics Bay to Orakei required significant reclamation over Hobson Bay. At the same time a new road, Tamaki Drive, was built alongside part of the railway line. A notable feature of the deviation is that no rail crossings were created by its construction. The line was completed on 24 September 1929, but did not open for traffic until 11 May 1930.
Veolia (New Zealand)
Veolia Transport Auckland, formerly Connex Auckland Ltd, is a division of Australasia's largest passenger train company, French-owned Veolia. It runs Auckland's urban passenger trains under contract from Auckland Transport under their MAXX brand, on infrastructure owned and managed by KiwiRail...
under the MAXX
MAXX Blue (livery)
thumb|Passengers board a MAXX branded Northern Express operated by [[Ritchies Coachlines]] on the [[Northern Busway, Auckland|Northern Busway]]....
brand. Just recently it had an upgrade with the new Sylvia Park station
Sylvia Park Train Station
Sylvia Park train station is a railway station on the Eastern line of the passenger rail network in Auckland, New Zealand. It serves the recently opened Sylvia Park mall and the surrounding suburb of Mount Wellington.- New Station :...
.
Construction
The line from Auckland - Westfield via Glen Innes was constructed as the Westfield deviation of the North Island Main Trunk. This deviation had been proposed as early as the 1870s, but various events meant that it was never constructed, until traffic on the Auckland - Newmarket Line began to significantly increase delays. The Westfield deviation avoided the major grades of the former main line, which had a highest point of 81m above sea level, compared with the new line's highest point of 24m.A small reclamation had been made in the early 1920s 2 km out of Queen Street into Mechanics Bay
Mechanics Bay
Mechanics Bay is the name of a former bay on the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland City, New Zealand. It is also the name used to describe the area of the former bay that is now mainly occupied by commercial and port facilities...
for goods yards and maintenance sheds. The remaining 14 km section was built between 1924 and 1930 by the Public Works Department
New Zealand Ministry of Works
The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...
as part of general improvements to Auckland's rail network. The Purewa Tunnel
Purewa Tunnel
Purewa Tunnel is a 800 m long rail tunnel on the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located west of Glen Innes, in the suburb of Saint Johns. The tunnel is concrete-lined.- Construction :...
, a major engineering work halfway between the city and Glen Innes, was built in the mid 1920s by miners that were experienced from working on the construction of the North Auckland Line. The construction and opening of this line coincided with the then new Auckland Railway Station
Auckland railway station
Auckland Railway Station is the former main railway station of Auckland, New Zealand, and is located on the eastern edge of the Auckland CBD near Mechanics Bay...
.
The section from Mechanics Bay to Orakei required significant reclamation over Hobson Bay. At the same time a new road, Tamaki Drive, was built alongside part of the railway line. A notable feature of the deviation is that no rail crossings were created by its construction. The line was completed on 24 September 1929, but did not open for traffic until 11 May 1930.