Grafton railway station, Auckland

Grafton railway station is a station serving the inner-city suburb of Grafton in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the Western Line of Auckland's passenger rail network and consists of an island platform located in a trench near the intersection of Khyber Pass Road and Park Road. The station opened on 11 April 2010.[2]

Grafton
Auckland Transport Urban rail
Overview of Grafton Station from Khyber Pass Rd towards Park Rd (a few days after opening)
General information
LocationBetween Khyber Pass Road and Park Road, Grafton, Auckland
New Zealand
Coordinates36°51′56″S 174°46′12″E / 36.8655°S 174.7701°E / -36.8655; 174.7701
Owned byKiwiRail (track and platforms)
Auckland Transport (buildings)
Operated byAuckland One Rail
Line(s)Western Line
PlatformsIsland platform
TracksMainline (2)
Construction
Platform levels1
ParkingNo
Bicycle facilitiesCycle racks on Park Road
AccessibleYes (Lifts)
Other information
Fare zoneIsthmus
History
Opened11 April 2010
Electrified25 kV AC[1]
Services
Preceding station Auckland Transport
(Auckland One Rail)
Following station
Newmarket
towards Waitematā
Western Line Maungawhau
towards Swanson

Connectivity and layout

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The station serves as a direct interchange with a large number of bus routes, including the InnerLink[3] and buses travelling along the Central Connector, and is located in close proximity to Auckland Hospital, Auckland Domain and the University of Auckland's Grafton and Newmarket campuses.[4][5]

The station has four entrances, as its platform extends under both Khyber Pass Road and Park Road, with stairs connecting the station to both sides of each road. Both of the Park Road stairs connect directly to bus stops. There is also a lift on the western side of Park Road.[2] The entrance on the southern side of Khyber Pass Road is adjacent to St Peter's College and students have direct access to the platform without having to cross any roads.[6] Up to a third of the school's students use Grafton station in the mornings and afternoons on school days.[7]

Services

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Auckland One Rail, on behalf of Auckland Transport, operates Western Line services to Waitematā and Swanson. The off-peak weekday frequencies are:[8]

  • 3 trains per hour (tph) to Waitematā
  • 3 tph to Swanson

Bus routes 30, 70, 75, 295, 309, 321 and the Inner Link serve Grafton station.[9]

Future

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When the City Rail Link opens in late 2025, rail services at Grafton Station will change significantly. The Western Line will no longer serve the station, as it will be rerouted through the new tunnels between Maungawhau and Waitematā.[10] Instead, the Southern Line will be rerouted through Grafton on its way between Newmarket and the City Centre, and a new Crosstown Line will also serve the station as part of its route between Henderson and Onehunga.[11]

History

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Grafton Station replaced Boston Road station, and is located approximately 300m north-east of the site of the former station. The station was re-sited at a cost of $3 million to make it closer to major destinations such as the hospital and to allow more direct interchange to bus routes than the previous site. The line through the station was electrified in 2014, and AM class EMUs replaced diesel powered trains on the Western Line in 2015.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Auckland Electrifcation Map" (PDF). KiwiRail. September 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b Dearnaley, Mathew (9 April 2010). "Enter the station here, here, here ... or here". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Link bus service". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  4. ^ Newmarket's Western Line - Kingdon St to Boston Rd Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine (from the 'ProjectDart.org.nz' website of ONTRACK. Accessed 2008-12-29.)
  5. ^ Newmarket Western Line Redevelopment (DART 2) Kingdon Street to Boston Road (September 2008 timeline flyer)[permanent dead link] (from the 'ProjectDart.org.nz' website of ONTRACK. Accessed 2008-12-29.)
  6. ^ Sean Millar, Railway Stations of Auckland's Western Line: Boston Road to Waitakere before the 2004 upgrade programme, 2nd edition, Sean Millar, Huia, 2007, p. 4; Mathew Dearnaley, "Enter the station here, here, here ... or here", New Zealand Herald, 9 April 2010, [1].
  7. ^ Mathew Dearnaley, "Safety drive holds shocks for star", The New Zealand Herald, Wednesday, 23 July 2008, p. A3: [2].
  8. ^ "Western Line timetable" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Central Guide" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Timeline". City Rail Link. City Rail Link Ltd. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  11. ^ "AT Regional Public Transport Plan 2023-2031" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 31 July 2023.