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The City Rail Link’s (CRL) first week in business has already smashed numbers out of the park, with the first seven days recorded as the busiest Auckland’s rail network has ever been.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown say the stats show a strong early sign of success.
A total of 528,007 train boardings were recorded between September 13-19, beating the previous seven-day record of 504,380 set in March 2019 by more than 23,000.
“The CRL is one of the most significant transport investments in New Zealand’s history, and it’s fantastic to see Aucklanders getting on board in such huge numbers after waiting years for its arrival,” Bishop says.
“The week before the CRL opened, Auckland’s rail network recorded 325,203 boardings. One week later, patronage was up by around 62 per cent, showing the immediate difference the new system is already making to the way Aucklanders move around the city.
“Punctuality and reliability of train services remained consistently in the mid-to-high 90 per cent range throughout the working week, strengthening further as the week went on.
Bishop says a strong performance in the first week was important for the public to get familiar with relying on the train network.
“For years, the focus was on getting the CRL built. Now the exciting part begins as we see what Auckland can do with it, joining the great modern cities around the world where fast, frequent rapid transit is part of everyday life,” he says.
Mayor Wayne Brown says the challenge now is to keep this momentum going.
“Aucklanders from across the region have seen the benefits of significantly reduced travel times, more frequent services, and much better access to destinations across the city centre and beyond.
“Seeing the highest weekly rail patronage ever is a significant milestone. Just as importantly, trains have largely been running on time and delivering the reliability Aucklanders expect.
“I look forward to seeing how the CRL transforms our city, and I’ll continue pushing for better, faster, and more cost-effective outcomes for Aucklanders,” Brown says.
