Aucklanders get first look inside new Karanga-a-Hape Station

Thousands of Aucklanders are expected to get their first look inside the City Rail Link's (CRL) Karanga-a-Hape Station Saturday, as the city counts down to the opening of the $5.5 billion project.

The station is the second of three new or redeveloped stations to be opened to the public as part of a series of free "First Look" events ahead of the CRL opening to passengers on 13 September.

Karanga-a-Hape Station, in the heart of the city, features New Zealand's longest escalator, taking passengers 33 metres underground beneath Pitt Street.

Its design also includes a ceiling shaped like three Kauri snail shells, reflecting the Kauri forests that once covered the Karangahape ridgeline.

The station's opening comes after a decade of construction on the country's largest transport infrastructure project.

The CRL includes twin 3.45km rail tunnels beneath Auckland's city centre, two new underground stations at Karanga-a-Hape and Te Waihorotiu, and the redevelopment of Maungawhau Station.

When it opens on 13 September, trains will run directly through the city centre for the first time, rather than stopping at Waitematā Station.

Auckland Transport says the new link is expected to double the number of Aucklanders who live within a 30-minute train journey of the city centre.

At peak times, trains will run through the city centre every five minutes, while services elsewhere on the network are expected to run at an average of about 10min intervals.

Off-peak services will run every 15min throughout the day, including weekends, compared with every 20min currently.

The station's opening date was formally announced last week by Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland mayor Wayne Brown.

Bishop said the opening would mark a turning point for Auckland after a project that had been discussed for about a century and had caused years of disruption for businesses and communities during construction.

The CRL has cost $5.5b and taken about 10 years to build.

The public will have another chance to explore the new network next Saturday, when Te Waihorotiu Station will be opened for a final First Look event on 22 August.

The first trains will enter the CRL on Sunday 13 September, with the first services from Pukekohe, Swanson, Newmarket and Manukau arriving at Karanga-a-Hape Station from 5.45am.