Karanga-a-Hape railway station explained

Karanga-a-Hape
Address:Karangahape Road, Auckland
Country:New Zealand
Coordinates:-36.859°N 174.7592°W
Owned:Auckland Transport
Operator:Auckland One Rail
Line:City Rail Link
Code:KRD[1]
Platforms:2
Tracks:2
Structure:Underground
Accessible:Yes (Lifts)
Website:City Rail Link
Electrified:Yes (from opening)
Opening:2026 (planned)
Mapframe:Yes
Mapframe-Wikidata:Yes

Karanga-a-Hape railway station is an underground railway station under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. It is scheduled to open in 2026 as part of the City Rail Link project.[2] It will serve the Karangahape Road area with entrances on Beresford Square and Mercury Lane.[3] [4] [5] When it opens, Karanga-a-hape will be the deepest train station in New Zealand,[6] reaching 33 metres down[7] and featuring 150 metre long platforms. Auckland Council estimates up to 1,400 people an hour will use the station at peak times.

History

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.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

In November 2023, Auckland Transport announced it would be pedestrianising the upper portion of Mercury Lane in order to improve accessibility.[11]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Karana-a-Hape tunnel photo . Facebook . KiwiRail . 29 July 2024.
  2. Web site: 23 May 2023 . Bernard . Orsman . City Rail Link won't open until 2026 at the earliest . 5 June 2024 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  3. https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/stations-karangahape-rd Karangahape
  4. https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/karangahape-station-works Rail is coming uptown to Karangahape Road
  5. News: City Rail Link deadline not guaranteed - project boss . . 4 December 2023 . 4 December 2023 . 4 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204001933/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/503881/city-rail-link-deadline-not-guaranteed-project-boss . live .
  6. Web site: 2020-09-30 . Mining starts on country's deepest railway station . 2023-12-06 . City Rail Link . en-US . 7 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180210/https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/newsletter-september-2020/mining-starts-on-countrys-deepest-railway-station . live .
  7. Web site: Lowrie . Matt . 2022-10-26 . A visit to Karanga-a-hape . 2023-12-06 . Greater Auckland . en-NZ . 7 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180352/https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2022/10/27/a-visit-to-karanga-a-hape/ . live .
  8. Web site: 2023-12-08 . Underground rail link feasible, says study . 2023-12-08 . NZ Herald . en-NZ . 8 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231208003211/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/underground-rail-link-feasible-says-study/AGY5WW7D4BOV64AAWP7R4ZBIPQ/ . live .
  9. Web site: Journal . Tunnelling . 2022-07-15 . CRL's second Tunnel breakthrough at Karanga a Hape Station . 2023-12-06 . The Tunnelling Journal . en-GB . 7 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180244/https://tunnellingjournal.com/crls-second-tunnel-breakthrough-karanga-hape-station/ . live .
  10. Web site: Harris . Sophie . 2023-03-16 . Britomart officially renamed along with three other Tāmaki Makaurau railway stations . 2023-12-06 . Stuff . en . 7 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180347/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300832352/britomart-officially-renamed-along-with-three-other-tmaki-makaurau-railway-stations . live .
  11. Web site: Transport . Auckland . Karanga-a-Hape Station neighbourhood and bus improvements project . 2023-12-06 . Auckland Transport . en-nz .