The Auckland City Rail Link recorded 528,007 train boardings during its opening week from September 13 to 19, 2026, establishing a new record for the busiest seven-day period. This figure surpassed the previous mark of 504,380 boardings set in 2019 and represented a 62% increase compared to 325,203 boardings in the week immediately before the link opened.
Service Reliability and Opening Day Incident
Train punctuality and service reliability during the first week remained consistently within the mid-to-high 90% range, strengthening as the week progressed. Reliability on the opening Sunday was affected by a fire at Waitematā Station in the early morning, which disrupted supplementary services planned
for the day.
Transitional Timetable and Planned Service Increases
The City Rail Link launched on a reduced transitional timetable, initially running six trains per hour during peak times rather than the eventual target of eight trains per hour. Peak wait times can reach up to 15 minutes under this schedule. Auckland Transport plans to increase train frequencies in November and December 2026, extending eight-train-per-hour service from Kingsland to Henderson and lengthening Friday and Saturday evening service hours to approximately 11:00 to 11:30 pm. Discussions with KiwiRail are ongoing to enhance Thursday night services and expand improvements to Pukekohe by February 2027.
Daily Boarding Figures and Historic Context
Daily boardings during the opening
week rose steadily: Sunday recorded 56,757 boardings, Monday 78,503, Tuesday and Wednesday each exceeded 84,000 boardings, and Thursday peaked at 85,289 boardings. Friday and Saturday saw 77,002 and 62,063 boardings respectively. The busiest single pre-pandemic day was March 6, 2019, with 87,092 boardings. These figures highlight that daily boardings during the opening week closely approached or matched pre-pandemic peak days.
Official Reflections and Future Outlook
Transport Minister Chris Bishop emphasized the importance of the week’s strong performance in boosting confidence in the City Rail Link as a credible public transport option replacing car travel. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown highlighted the need for Auckland Transport, which
from the following week would focus exclusively on public transport services, to build on the strong start and attract more ridership to maximize investment returns. Auckland Transport rail services group manager Mark Lambert outlined the planned timetable enhancements, specifically the expansion of weekend late-night services and the phased increase in train frequency.
