Papakura Railway Station

Papakura
Auckland Transport Urban rail

Overview of the station before electrification.
Coordinates 37°12.2′S 174°54.6′E / 37.2033°S 174.9100°E / -37.2033; 174.9100
Owned by KiwiRail and Auckland Transport
Line(s) Southern Line
Northern Explorer
Platforms Island platform (P1 & P2), side platform (P3), bay platform (P4)
Tracks Main line (3)
Passing loop (1)
Backshunt (1, south-east)
Bay platform (1)
Construction
Platform levels 1
Parking Yes
Bicycle facilities Yes
Other information
Website Auckland Transport
History
Opened c.1875
Rebuilt 2007, 2012–2013
Electrified 25kV AC[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2011) 3,854 passengers/weekday[2]
Services
  Auckland Transport, KiwiRail  
Preceding station   Auckland Transport (Transdev)   Following station
toward Britomart
Southern LineTerminus
TerminusSouthern Line
(Pukekohe Shuttle)
Terminus
Preceding station   KiwiRail Scenic   Following station
Terminus
Northern Explorer
toward Wellington
Papakura station layout
Legend
to Takanini
Clevedon Road

storage roads
Onslow Road
Settlement Road
storage road backshunt
to Pukekohe

Papakura Railway Station is on the Southern Line of the Auckland railway network.

Station design

An ADK unit operated by Veolia for MAXX at Papakura

Historical

Prior to October 2012, the station had an island platform between the main lines, complete with original wooden station building and signal panel, and a suburban side platform to the west. It had a bowstring footbridge connecting the platforms, which dated from at least the 1930s, constructed of old railway iron and sleepers.[3]

Upgrades

In 2007, the island platform was extended to the north, and new shelters were installed. Sidings were commissioned at the east of the station yard for stabling trains overnight. The heritage footbridge was demolished and scrapped, despite some local opposition,[3] and replaced with a concrete bridge with two passenger lifts.

The upgrade cost NZ$4,900,000 and was paid for as part of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority's (ARTA) system-wide upgrade of stations. Platforms were lengthened to enable six-car trains, because of anticipated growth in passenger numbers. 3,000 people passed through each day as of 2007, and another thousand were anticipated to use the station within five years. The new station was the seventh station to be redeveloped by ARTA in 2007.

In 2012 - 13, KiwiRail funded a significant upgrade as part of the Auckland Electrification Project, and to provide resiliency for suburban trains and freight trains heading south. The signalling was completely replaced, and the station building and signal panel, commissioned more than 80 years earlier, were relocated to the western suburban platform, Platform 3. The building was refurbished and restored, and contains the preserved panel on display, a ticket office, public toilets and space for a coffee kiosk.

The station in 2009, before its 2012 upgrade

The North Island Main Trunk has been slewed to the east, with the island Platforms 1 and 2 adjacent to the Up main line to Auckland, typically serving suburban trains from Britomart to Pukekohe. The western suburban Platform 3 has been lengthened, and a new bay Platform 4 at its southern extremity will serve DMU shuttles to Pukekohe.

Bus stops are directly outside the ticket office, with the old bus stops on the station side of Railway Street West now only used for intercity services, and "rail buses" that operate when the railway network is shut down.

Services

Suburban rail

The station is the terminus for most suburban passenger trains on the Southern Line, with some continuing to Pukekohe.[4] It also serves the Auckland-Wellington Northern Explorer service.[5]

When EMU operations commence in late 2014, passengers to Pukekohe will transfer to a DMU from Platform 4. In May 2012, Auckland Transport's board included an investigation to extend electrified services to Pukekohe in its 10-year integrated transport plan.[6]

Buses

Transfers to the following services can be made at the stops on Railway Street West:

North-bound

South-bound

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Auckland Electrifcation Map" (PDF). KiwiRail. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Auckland Transport Board Meeting (20 November 2012) Agenda Item 10(i) "Rail Electrification Extension" p. 16
  3. 1 2 "Piece of history reduced to scrap metal". Fairfax NZ News. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  4. ↑ MAXX: Southern Line Timetable
  5. ↑ KiwiRail Scenic Journeys: Northern Explorer
  6. ↑ Dearnaley, Mathew (22 May 2012). "Push for electric to Pukekohe". NZ Herald. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
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