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Auckland’s newest electric train has rolled into port, marking the arrival of the 23rd and final unit in Auckland Transport’s fleet expansion.
The delivery brings the total fleet to 95, helping enable more frequent and reliable services after City Rail Link (CRL) opens later this year, says Auckland Transport (AT).
Built by Spanish train manufacturer CAF, at its manufacturing facility in Mexico, the new trains have each travelled by ship to Auckland before being transported by road to the Wiri Train Depot for inspection, coupling, testing, and commissioning ahead of entering service.
“Reaching the final delivery is a significant achievement as we get ready to open the CRL,” says Stacey van der Putten, AT’s public transport and active modes director.
“The project isn’t just about tunnels and stations – it increases the capacity of our rail network so we can provide trains more often, increasing over time.”
They arrive as individual carriages that are assembled into three‑car trains. Trains can operate across the Auckland network as three-car sets or be coupled in pairs to run as six‑car trains depending on demand.
The $330 million investment has been jointly funded by the Government with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi covering half the cost and Auckland Council meeting the balance.
Included in the funding was extended stabling facilities at the Wiri Depot – delivered as a separate contract – and the modification of the existing fleet of 72 trains to ensure they’re compatible with the CRL, work which has now been completed.
“We’ve retrofitted trains with improved features such as operational connectivity, LED lighting, drag-detecting door sensors, and emergency alarms,” van der Putten says.
AT owns the fleet, sets service patterns, and provides customer information systems, while operator Auckland One Rail (AOR) maintains and runs the services.
The majority of the new units are already operating across the network and were heavily used in AT’s region-wide timetable simulation held at the end of January.
The exercise saw 84 trains running across the network to test CRL-ready frequencies and ensure safe, reliable performance ahead of the CRL’s opening in the second half of 2026.
“The testing was a valuable learning curve,” says van der Putten.
“It highlighted several challenges, particularly around network congestion, which our teams are now working through.
“We’ll tweak a few things before we run the simulation again in the April school holidays, to help us finalise a robust timetable and provide reliable services from day one.”
The testing has also given AOR critical insights into how its train crews, station teams, and operations staff will manage the uplift in services.
AOR has now completed a major training programme to prepare its drivers for driving through the new stations and tunnel environments.
Some 264 drivers are certified to operate the new CRL routes, and 195 train managers have completed station familiarisation.
There’s still lots more to do before opening with a further 101 customer service staff in training throughout the new stations, AT says.
Before opening the CRL, AT says project teams will be completing important work to be ready, including:
- Thoroughly testing the stations, including emergency and technology systems.
- Testing train operations in the tunnel, and across a new network-wide timetable.
- Ensuring all parts of the public transport system are ready for launch.
- Completing planned rail network upgrade projects.
- Finalising the regulatory approvals needed for the CRL and new services.
