Auckland airport rail fight rages
Promoters of a rail link to Auckland airport are turning up the heat to secure an agreement before it’s too late.
A report in the North Shore Times says that promoters of a rail link to Auckland airport are turning up the heat to secure an agreement before it’s too late.
Lobby group The Campaign for Better Transport wants Auckland’s various transport agencies and Transit to designate a suitable railway corridor before construction of the second Manukau Harbour crossing begins.
Work on the project, which will increase the crossing from four lanes to eight,
is scheduled to begin next month.
Transit has no plans in place to integrate the crossing with Onehunga’s new railway station, which is due to open at the end of next year.
The lobby group says the two projects create the ideal opportunity to develop a railway line from Onehunga to the airport via the new harbour crossing.
With mediation through the Environment Court in December the group managed to obtain confirmation from Transit that it would work with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and other agencies to facilitate a rail link to the airport from Onehunga.
But this could be up to 30 years away and funding is uncertain.
The group’s petition for a railway designation before work on the harbour crossing begins will be presented to the Auckland Regional Council on March 13.
Regional council chairman Mike Lee is one of the more than 5000 people who signed the petition.
Campaigner Jon Reeves says having airport rail would bring Auckland up to “first-world standards”.
“When you look at other cities around the world, like London, Brisbane, Sydney, Geneva and Perth, they’ve all got rail connecting the airport to the city.”
Catching the train to the airport would be cheaper and more reliable than going by car, Mr Reeves says.
“I used to live in Ellerslie and it would cost me at least $48 for a taxi to the airport. And it takes only one car or one accident and the whole southwestern motorway is in chaos and you get up to 2000 people missing their flights.
“Auckland’s also missing out on potential income when tourists grab rental cars and head straight out of the city.”
A railway line would also service about 10,000 people who work at and around the airport.
“It’s a no-brainer. It has to go ahead,” he says.
A Report by The Mole from the North Shore Times
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt