Karanga-a-Hape railway station is an underground railway station under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. It is scheduled to open in late 2025 as part of the City Rail Link project. It will serve the Karangahape Road area with entrances on Beresford Square and Mercury Lane.[1][2][3] When it opens, Karanga-a-hape will be the deepest train station in New Zealand,[4] reaching 33 metres down[5] and featuring 150 metre long platforms. Auckland Council estimates up to 1,400 people an hour will use the station at peak times.
Karanga-a-Hape | |
|---|---|
 Construction site at Beresford Square, the future location of the northern entrance to the station | |
| General information | |
| Location | Karangahape Road, Auckland New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°51′32″S 174°45′33″E / 36.8589513°S 174.7592431°E |
| Owned by | Auckland Transport |
| Operated by | Auckland One Rail |
| Line(s) | City Rail Link |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Tracks | 2 |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | Underground |
| Accessible | Yes |
| Other information | |
| Website | City Rail Link |
| History | |
| Opening | 2025 (planned) |
| Electrified | Yes (from opening) |
| Location | |
 | |
History edit
Proposals for a link between downtown Auckland and central suburb train routes have been around since the 1920s, but the first proposal involving a station on Karangahape Road came in 2003.[6] Auckland Council proposed an underground line running between Britomart and Maungawhau-Mount Eden station, including three new stations at Aotea Square, Karangahape Road, and the top of Symonds Street.
Demolition work for the Mercury Lane site began on 4 November 2019, taking out the prominent Mercury Plaza foodcourt and some surrounding buildings. Tunneling from Mount Eden station to Karanga-a-hape station began on 26 April 2022, with the Dame Whina Cooper Herrenknecht TBM breaking through on 15 July.[7]
In March 2023, the station was officially renamed from Karangahape station to Karanga-a-Hape station, after the four City Rail Link stations were gifted te reo Maori names by the project's Mana Whenua Forum.[8]
In November 2023, Auckland Transport announced it would be pedestrianising the upper portion of Mercury Lane in order to improve accessibility.[9]
References edit
- ^ Karangahape Archived 23 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine City Rail Link
- ^ Rail is coming uptown to Karangahape Road Archived 7 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine City Rail Link
- ^ "City Rail Link deadline not guaranteed - project boss". Radio New Zealand. 4 December 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Mining starts on country's deepest railway station". City Rail Link. 30 September 2020. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Lowrie, Matt (26 October 2022). "A visit to Karanga-a-hape". Greater Auckland. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Underground rail link feasible, says study". NZ Herald. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ Journal, Tunnelling (15 July 2022). "CRL's second Tunnel breakthrough at Karanga a Hape Station". The Tunnelling Journal. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Harris, Sophie (16 March 2023). "Britomart officially renamed along with three other Tāmaki Makaurau railway stations". Stuff. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Transport, Auckland. "Karanga-a-Hape Station neighbourhood and bus improvements project". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
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