Two new Auckland stations part of $2.4b rail spend

Two new railway stations in South Auckland are among the final elements of a $2.4 billion government investment in Auckland's network, Minister for Auckland Simon Watts says.

He was speaking at the formal opening on Saturday of the Drury and Paerātā stops.

The stations will serve Drury, Paerātā, Franklin and South Auckland, with each station providing two platforms, 350 car parks and bus connections.

Services begin stopping at the new stations on Sunday. During the week, peak trains will run every 10 minutes.

Other speakers at the opening were Rail Minister Winston Peters, KiwiRail chief metro officer Bevan Assink and Franklin ward councillor Andy Baker.

Watts said that while much of the recent investment in the rail network had been about preparing for the opening of the CRL, "the extension of the overhead electrification from Papakura to Pukekohe and these new train stations represent something more".

"Trains stopping at Drury and Paerātā stations from tomorrow and Ngākōroa station when it opens next year will help open up this part of Auckland.

"Around 130,000 more people are expected to be in the southern part of Auckland over the next three decades. More than 40,000 new homes are expected to be built, a new hospital in Drury, a number of new schools, new roads, including in time the Mill Road extension.

"For locals, it means ... being part of an Auckland that is properly connected to the rest of the city... It will give people greater confidence to move to this part of Auckland, knowing that they will not be reliant on their cars, and overall it's a great choice about where people live and how they get around," Watts said.

KiwiRail's Bevan Assink gave the gathering some project numbers - 6500 cubic metres of concrete; 600 tonnes of locally sourced steel; 25,000 cubic metres of material moved to make way for the facilities.

"We've also planted around 40,000 trees and everything to beautify the area. Also there were 22 apprenticeships that were able to be enacted as part of this project and also 32 local companies were also involved in the project as well.

"So it just shows how broad and vast-reaching these projects can be in supporting the communities and everything around them," Assink said.

Franklin ward's Andy Baker told a story of two girls, aged 11 and 12, writing to him in 2011 to ask if Drury could get a railway station.

"They had done a petition here in Drury. They had hundreds and hundreds of signatures about wanting a park and ride and a station at Drury.

"One of those girls is here today - my daughter ... she may have had some egging on ... the other, the 11-year-old at the time ... is now an emergency doctor at Christchurch Hospital, so time has moved on.

"I did promise Emma it would be built before she left high school, which was 2015, but we haven't quite made that.

"But it shows that there's been a demand for this type of infrastructure in this area for a very, very long time. It is fantastic to see it today," Baker said.

Rail Minister Peters echoed Watts' figure of 130,000 more people expected in the area over coming decades "and infrastructure must come before growth - not years afterwards, as too often happens in this country".

"These stations are here because we funded them when last responsible for rail, as part of our wider commitments to unlock capacity, lift train frequencies, invest more than $500 million to get the network up to standard, and enable electric trains from Britomart right down to Pukekohe.

"While others say nice words about rail, we fund it, deliver it, and on this happy occasion are still here to open it.

"We will keep advocating for rail because taxpayers have built an asset with real potential to move people and goods efficiently - and we intend to make full use of it."

In an earlier statement, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the stations were among the final elements of a $2.4 billion government investment in Auckland's rail network.

"The Auckland Rail Network Rebuild has been completed in time for the City Rail Link to open soon. We're also replacing level crossings across the network to support more frequent train services.

"The Third Main Line is now open, separating freight and passenger rail services, while the rail line to Pukekohe has been electrified. Looking ahead, new rail stations at Ngākōroa are also set to open in 2027.

The work was about investing in infrastructure "that would help our largest city to grow".

"Our investment is delivering convenient and reliable trains to help improve productivity, and new infrastructure out here in southern Auckland to enable housing and business growth," he said.