Papakura Railway Station

Papakura Railway Station
Auckland Transport urban rail
Overview of the station.
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 (2) Passing loop (2) Backshunt (1, south-east) Bay platform (1)
Construction
Platform levels	1
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
History
Opened	c.1875
Rebuilt	2007, 2012–2013
Electrified	25kV AC installed, not yet in service.[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2011)	3,854 passengers/weekday[2]
Services
Auckland Transport, KiwiRail   Preceding station   MAXX (Veolia)   Following station Takanini toward Britomart (Auckland) Southern Line Pukekohe Terminus Preceding station   KiwiRail Scenic   Following station Britomart (Auckland) Terminus Northern Explorer Hamilton 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 Eastern and Southern Lines 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 Eastern and Southern Lines, 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

• 470, 472 Express to Britomart
• 471–473 to Britomart via Great South Road
• 478 to Keri Hill

South-bound

• 471/471X to Pahurehure/Drury
• 472 to Red Hill
• 473 to Red Hill via Keri Hill
• 475 to Pukekohe via Drury
• 476 to Tuakau via Pukekohe
• 479 to Waiuku

References