Source: Auckland Council
Auckland Council today approved acceleration of the programme to remove level crossings at Takaanini and Glen Innes by bringing forward a $550 million allocation in its Long-term Plan capital budget.
The move, which will see the removal of all remaining level crossings on the Southern and Eastern rail lines and the construction of eight new road and pedestrian bridges, is subject to New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi approving the first $200 million of co-funding announced by central government in February 2025.
Mayor Wayne Brown sees the council’s approval given today as a great move to support and add value to the Aucklanders who live and work in Takaanini and Glen Innes, as well as the wider users of Auckland’s growing rail network.
“One of my key policies is to get Auckland moving and this is one initiative that will deliver on this,” says Mayor Brown.
“We have an opportunity to take advantage of NZTA’s support funding to bring forward the borrowing we’ve set aside and accelerate these level crossing removals. It just makes sense.
“Starting with 20 trains an hour when City Rail Link opens, removing these level crossings and constructing new road and pedestrian bridges means more trains can run as usage grows – this will slash local traffic congestion and make it safer for people to walk and drive in the area.
“This is a great example of working together with the government on fixing Auckland’s transport issues,” says Mayor Brown.
The Auckland Transport (AT) Board approved the investment case for the Takaanini and Glen Innes group in February 2025.
“These crossing removals and replacements are our highest priority, to support increased train frequencies following the opening of City Rail Link while keeping traffic moving and improving safety,” says Jane Small, AT’s Group Manager Rail Infrastructure.
“Funding confirmations from both Auckland Council and NZTA will allow us to get on with delivering these much-needed projects. The next steps will include engagement with communities on the new station pedestrian and road bridges, along with starting the procurement to finalise design and build the new road bridge replacements in Takaanini.
“AT is also continuing removals of other level crossings before City Rail Link opens, along with a range of interim safety upgrades at other road level crossings,” adds Ms Small.
Papakura Local Board deputy chair Jan Robinson was present at the meeting to speak to and support today’s funding acceleration, and the desire for local boards to take part in the detailed design and delivery stages of this project.
“Papakura Local Board has been very involved in the designation of the rail crossings in Takaanini. This is a positive signal for the safety of people in Papakura to reduce local traffic congestion as these complex improvements get delivered,” says Ms Robinson.
An existing programme of rail level crossing removals is well under way and enables the operation of the City Rail Link (CRL) Day 1 timetable. A post-CRL programme investment case for level crossing removals has been developed which prioritises the Takaanini and Glen Innes level crossings group to be delivered next.
The scope of the Takaanini and Glen Innes crossings includes eight new bridges – three road bridges, two pedestrian bridges to maintain existing street connections, and three new station platform access bridges. Eight new bridges will remove all level crossings from the inner Southern (Papakura north) and Eastern Rail lines, improve safety and deliver operational efficiencies for road and rail users. Four road crossings will close in conjunction with these improvements.
The council’s Long-term Plan 2024-2034 assumes that the programme would be 51 per cent co-funded by New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
In February 2025, the Minister of Transport announced that the Government would allocate up to $200 million for its share of funding to accelerate removal of the level crossings in Takanini and Glen Innes. The allocation of funding is subject to approval by the NZTA board, expected at the beginning of April 2025.
The next steps are to progress the procurement of design, property and construction details.
For more information, see the Governing Body item online.
