Panmure Railway Station

Panmure
Auckland Transport Urban rail
Panmure station
Location	Ellerslie-Panmure Highway, Panmure
Coordinates	36°53′52″S 174°50′59″E / 36.8977°S 174.8497°E / -36.8977; 174.8497
Owned by	KiwiRail and Auckland Transport
Line(s)	Eastern Line
Platforms	Side platform
Tracks	Mainline (2)
Construction
Platform levels	1
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
History
Opened	16 November 1930
Electrified	25kV AC
Traffic
Passengers (2011)	1628 passengers/weekday[1]
Services
KiwiRail   Preceding station   Transdev Auckland   Following station Glen Innes toward Britomart (Auckland) Eastern Line Sylvia Park toward Manukau

Panmure Railway Station is on the Eastern Line of the Auckland railway network in New Zealand. The original Panmure Station opened on 16 November 1930, on a site to the south of the current station. The station was relocated to its current site in 2007. Panmure Station is set to receive a major upgrade within the next decade in order to become a major bus-rail interchange, as part of the AMETI project.

History

The Eastern Line was completed in September 1929, and was opened for traffic on 11 May 1930.^[2] Panmure Station opened on 16 November 1930,^[3] and was situated about 100m west of Ireland Road. A small station building was located in the middle of the station's island platform. At the time of opening, the area surrounding the station was predominantly rural. Access to the station was originally provided by two pedestrian bridges. A ramp from the north end of the platform led to a bridge between Ireland Road and the west side of the station, from where a path provided access to the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway. From the south end of the platform, a bridge provided access from the platform to a path which led to the Mount Wellington Highway.

By the end of the 1950s the area surrounding the station had become substantially more developed. Ireland Place had become a residential street, and there was a mix of residential and light industrial development on Mount Wellington Highway. Several side-streets had been built between Mount Wellington Highway and the railway. Access from the northern bridge to Ireland Road had been removed, and ramps were added from the southern bridge to William Harvey Place (off Mount Wellington Highway) and Ireland Road.

By the turn of the century, Panmure had grown substanstially. The condition of the station, however, had deteriorated. The original station building had benn replaced by a much smaller one, the northern footbridge had been removed, and the platform itself had begun to deteriorate. In addition to this, patronage was low (recorded as being just 83 boardings per day in 2003) and the station was not located close to the town centre. It was therefore decided to close the original Panmure Station and open a new station between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mountain Road. The new station would be more modern, be closer to the town centre, and provide better connections with bus services. The new Panmure Station opened in the first half of 2007. The station has two side platforms, located slightly below road level. Access is from Ellerslie-Panmure Highway, Mountain Road, and the carpark. A park and ride facility and a bus stop are located adjacent to the eastbound platform. The station's relocation had a significant effect on patronage with recorded daily boardings climbing from 268 in 2006 to 446 in 2007.

In October 2011, work began on the AMETI project, with the replacement of the Mountain Road bridge, immediately north of the station.^[4] AMETI is a $1.5-billion initiative designed to reduce congestion and improve public transport in Auckland's eastern suburbs.^[5] In May 2012, a new pedestrian plaza was built over part of the platforms. The new plaza provides access from the carpark and bus stop to both platforms via stairs.

Future

Looking north from Ellerslie-Panmure Highway.

More projects which are part of AMETI are due to occur in and around Panmure Station. Among these is a major upgrade of the station and the building of new bus stops. A new building will be built over the platforms, facing Ellerslie-Panmure Highway, from where lifts and stairs will provide access to the platforms. A new bridge will be built over the railway, just north of the current Ellerslie-Panmure Highway bridge. New bus stops will be built on the bridge, which will eventually be used by the Southeastern Busway. Additionally, new bus stops for local buses will be built on a new road, which will above and adjacent to the platforms.^[6] A new road will run adjacent to the platforms, in a tunnel below the local bus stops.^[7] After AMETI is complete, Panmure will become a major bus-rail interchange. Many local bus routes, and bus routes from the Southeastern Busway will terminate here, and passengers will transfer onto either trains or other buses.^[8]

Services

Transdev Auckland, on behalf of Auckland Transport, operates suburban services to Britomart and Manukau via Panmure. Since 8 December 2014, the basic weekday off-peak timetable is:^[9]

• 3 tph to Britomart
• 3 tph to Manukau

Buses

Currently, all buses that serve Panmure stop at a bus stop located in the carpark.^[10]

In late 2015, Auckland Transport started consulting on new bus routes for the central and eastern suburbs, as part of a region-wide bus network review. Most of the new bus routes are planned to terminate at Panmure, with passengers changing to a train or another bus service to access the city centre.

References