Source: Auckland Council
Midtown’s mojo continues to build as major transport, public realm, and development milestones are met ahead of the City Rail Link opening later this year.
From new bus connections and streetscape upgrades to wastewater works, station testing and private investment, April has marked another step forward for one of Auckland’s fastest-changing neighbourhoods.
As the city gets ready for thousands of people to move through Te Waihorotiu Station each day, the pieces around it are connecting in more visible ways. Here’s where things stand in midtown right now.
Wellesley Street bus upgrades
On 19 April, midtown’s new central bus hub welcomed its first passengers, marking another key milestone on the path to City Rail Link readiness.
With the completion of stage one of the Wellesley Street Bus Improvements project, buses travelling in all directions now converge at a single intersection. Services run east-west along Wellesley Street and north-south on Albert Street, linked by a Barnes Dance pedestrian crossing beside Te Waihorotiu Station.
Wellesley Street is now a priority bus corridor, while Victoria Street continues to provide access for cars and delivery vehicles, alongside pedestrians, cyclists and train passengers from Te Waihorotiu station. By 2032, more than 2,200 buses a day are expected to use the corridor, up from around 1,300 today, including up to 200 buses an hour at peak times.
Read more about the opening of the Wellesley Street bus improvements.
Midtown wastewater diversion
Watercare has now finished its Queen Street tunnel works in this part of midtown, completing a new 600 metre wastewater pipe beneath Queen Street that links the shaft sites at Mayoral Drive, Wellesley Street East and Victoria Street East. The project is designed to help reduce wastewater overflows and strengthen the city centre network for future growth.
With works at Victoria Street East now complete and the road and footpath reinstated, this phase of the project has cleared the way for the next piece of public realm work above ground.
Watercare’s wider midtown programme is not finished yet. The next phase, extending from Mayoral Drive toward Marmion Street, remains part of the broader wastewater diversion project and will continue in stages.
Te Hā Noa reaches its final section
Now that Watercare has left the site, work is finally underway on the last section of Te Hā Noa stage one between Queen Street and Lorne Street.
This final piece will help complete the Victoria Street green link through midtown, connecting the public space upgrades already delivered on either side and extending a safer, more welcoming route for people walking, cycling and moving through the city centre.
Te Hā Noa also connects directly with the Te Waihorotiu Station entrances on Victoria Street, helping tie together the streetscape changes happening around the new station ahead of City Rail Link opening. One of the quieter but useful benefits of this layout is that the station entrances also help people move between either side of Albert Street without crossing at street level, using a gentle slope on one side and escalators /lifts on the other.
CRL passenger testing well underway
As anticipation builds for the next chapter in Auckland’s public transport story, the final pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. A major programme of testing is now underway across the CRL network to make sure the new systems work together and integrate properly with Auckland’s existing rail network.
Over 1600 staff from organisations involved in CRL delivery are acting as “proxy passengers” to test safety procedures at the three CRL stations, including midtown’s Te Waihorotiu. The testing programme covers everything from signalling and station systems to emergency procedures and live operational scenarios before passengers can use the line.
Having started in April, boots-on-the-ground testing will help prepare the network for the thousands of people expected to move through the new twin tunnels when services begin in the second half of this year. This includes emergency drills, evacuation scenarios, and wider systems integration testing across stations, trains and the wider network.
Private sector development
Midtown continues to attract significant private sector investment alongside the major public upgrades already under way.
One of the biggest recent milestones is the official opening of the New Zealand International Convention Centre on 13 February 2026. The NZICC has 33 meeting spaces, a 2,850-seat theatre, and capacity for more than 4,000 people, adding a major new anchor to the western edge of midtown.
The Radisson RED Auckland has also now opened, marking the brand’s debut in New Zealand and adding new accommodation and hospitality activity close to Queen Street and the city’s arts precinct.
At 256 Queen Street, Precinct’s 638-bed purpose-built student accommodation development is underway, aimed at helping meet growing demand for city centre student housing and currently targeting completion for the 2029 academic year.
The St James Theatre restoration also continues, with work tracking toward a 2028 completion to coincide with the theatre’s 100-year anniversary.
Midtown timeline at a glance
What has been completed so far?
In progress, as of May 2026
The final section of Te Hā Noa Victoria Street East (Queen to Lorne Street), completion expected in late 2026.
Midtown wastewater upgrades, from Queen Street to Marmion Street, continuing in stages.
St James Theatre restoration, completion expected in 2028 (to mark its 100th anniversary)
The City Rail Link stations are set to open in the second half of 2026, with the official opening date to be confirmed.