Auckland’s passenger rail network recorded its busiest week ever during the first full week of City Rail Link services, with 528,007 boardings between Sunday, September 13 and Saturday, September 19, 2026. This surpassed the previous seven-day record of 504,380 set in 2019. Patronage peaked at 85,289 boardings on Thursday, September 17, approaching the pre-pandemic busiest single day of 87,092 on March 6, 2019. The week before the City Rail Link opening saw only 325,203 boardings, an approximate 62% increase in one week.
Service Punctuality and Disruptions
Service punctuality and reliability stayed consistently in the mid-to-high 90% range throughout the working week, strengthening as the
week progressed. Sunday’s reliability was affected by an early-morning fire at Waitematā Station, disrupting some extra services scheduled for the launch day, but overall the network maintained stable operations with minimal delays.
Official Statements and Response
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said, “Punctuality and reliability of train services remained consistently in the mid-to-high 90% range throughout the working week strengthening further as the week went on.” He added, “A strong performance in the first week was important for building confidence in the City Rail Link as a reliable, genuine public transport alternative for Aucklanders who might otherwise choose to travel by car.” Auckland Mayor Wayne
Brown highlighted the importance of building on the high patronage and said, “With AT becoming solely focussed on delivering public transport services from next week, we have an opportunity to build on this strong result, attract more people onto the network, and ensure Auckland gets the full value from this investment.” He also noted, “Seeing the highest weekly rail patronage ever is a significant milestone. Just as importantly, trains have largely been running on time and delivering the reliability Aucklanders expect.” AT rail services group manager Mark Lambert outlined planned enhancements, stating, “Friday and Saturdays in that November and December
improvement, we will increase the 15-minute frequencies through to around 11.00 to 11.30pm.” Talks with KiwiRail are ongoing about Thursday night service improvements.
Current Services and Planned Improvements
The City Rail Link opened with a reduced ‘transitional’ timetable running six trains per hour during rush hour, instead of the intended eight, leading to peak wait times of up to 15 minutes. Planned improvements over November and December 2026 include extending eight trains per hour west from Kingsland to Henderson and extending Friday and Saturday night services until around 11:00 to 11:30 pm. A second round of service increases is planned for around February 2027, aiming
to boost services on the southern line between Ōtāhuhu and the city center, potentially extending to Pukekohe.
Background and Context
Prior to the City Rail Link opening, Auckland’s rail patronage lagged behind bus and ferry recovery after pandemic declines, partly due to extended network rebuild closures. The City Rail Link positions Auckland alongside other modern cities offering fast, frequent rapid transit, marking a step toward improved public transport reliability and higher patronage on the rail network.
