Manukau Branch
Encyclopedia
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The Manukau Branch is a 2.5 km spur railway line currently (2011) under construction from Wiri
off the North Island Main Trunk Railway to Manukau City in Auckland
, New Zealand
, part of ONTRACK
s Project DART. It will be the first fully new section or railway line constructed in Auckland since the Eastern Line in 1930.
The estimated cost is $50 million, with construction having begun June 2008, and was expected to be completed in late 2011. However, due to other work on the Auckland network taking priority, completion is now scehduled for February 2012.
, slightly north of the closed Wiri Train Station
. The line runs on both KiwiRail Network and Manukau City Council (from October 2010 Auckland Council) land, and the New Zealand Transport Agency
has built some of the line's earthworks. The current extension of State Highway 20
to State Highway 1 included provision for the route.
s with a bus station for up to eight buses, to form a local transport hub serving most of the southern Auckland Region, and the station is also intended to move more people into Manukau City's central area.
The station will be in (and accessed via) a 300m long trench, similar to the already constructed New Lynn Train Station
, to ease passage under nearby roads. A total of 47,000m2 of earth had been excavated when the earthworks finished in May 2010.
The station will be located at the heart of a new campus for the Manukau Institute of Technology
, with part of the station actually being in / under a campus building to be constructed above it.
The Manukau Branch is a 2.5 km spur railway line currently (2011) under construction from Wiri
Wiri
Wiri is a mostly industrial-commercial focused suburb in Manukau City, located to the southwest of the city.As of 2009, Ports of Auckland is building an inland port / rail siding in Wiri, to connect road freight to the port facilities on the Waitemata Harbour further north...
off the North Island Main Trunk Railway to Manukau City in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, part of ONTRACK
OnTrack
OnTrack was a regional rail line that operated in Syracuse, New York from 1994 to 2007. During its operation, Syracuse was the smallest city in the United States to have regional train service. The line ran from Colvin Street on the city's south side via Syracuse University and Armory Square to the...
s Project DART. It will be the first fully new section or railway line constructed in Auckland since the Eastern Line in 1930.
The estimated cost is $50 million, with construction having begun June 2008, and was expected to be completed in late 2011. However, due to other work on the Auckland network taking priority, completion is now scehduled for February 2012.
Route
The branch leaves the NIMT south of PuhinuiPuhinui Train Station
Puhinui Train Station is on the Southern Line of the Auckland rail network. It has an island platform, an enclosed shelter relocated from Papatoetoe station. It is accessed from Puhinui Road on both sides of the tracks via a pedestrian bridge located at the site of a former level crossing ....
, slightly north of the closed Wiri Train Station
Wiri Train Station
Wiri Train Station was a former station on the Eastern and Southern Lines of the Auckland Railway Network in New Zealand. It closed on 14 February 2005, being at that time the station with the lowest patronage in Auckland....
. The line runs on both KiwiRail Network and Manukau City Council (from October 2010 Auckland Council) land, and the New Zealand Transport Agency
New Zealand Transport Agency
The New Zealand Transport Agency is a New Zealand Crown entity tasked with promoting safe and functional transport by land, including the responsibility for driver and vehicle licensing and investigating rail accidents. It was created on 1 August 2008 by the Land Transport Management Amendment...
has built some of the line's earthworks. The current extension of State Highway 20
Southwest Motorway
State Highway 20, also known as either the Southwestern Motorway, or the Mangere Motorway, is a New Zealand State Highway linking State Highway 1 at Manukau City Centre with Mount Roskill, via Mangere and Onehunga...
to State Highway 1 included provision for the route.
Station
The line is to have one station, at its terminus at Manukau City Centre. There was some debate as to where the terminal station on the line would be located, with one proposal near the Westfield Shopping Centre and another next to Hayman Park. The Hayman Park site was selected for cost reasons, though it is located somewhat further away from the shopping centre. The station will be integrated via escalatorEscalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s with a bus station for up to eight buses, to form a local transport hub serving most of the southern Auckland Region, and the station is also intended to move more people into Manukau City's central area.
The station will be in (and accessed via) a 300m long trench, similar to the already constructed New Lynn Train Station
New Lynn Train Station
New Lynn Train 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...
, to ease passage under nearby roads. A total of 47,000m2 of earth had been excavated when the earthworks finished in May 2010.
The station will be located at the heart of a new campus for the Manukau Institute of Technology
Manukau Institute of Technology
Manukau Institute of Technology is a large institute of technology in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on two campuses in Otara, 30 minutes from central Auckland and 15 minutes from the central area of Manukau.-Campus:...
, with part of the station actually being in / under a campus building to be constructed above it.