South Auckland bus network set for shake-up as City Rail Link nears opening day

South Auckland commuters could soon see changes to the way they travel as Auckland Transport reviews bus services ahead of the opening of City Rail Link.

The changes are aimed at making it easier for people to connect with Auckland's rail network, particularly in South Auckland, where public transport use remains lower than in other parts of the city.

Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting during a media preview of the new Karanga-a-Hape Station, Auckland Transport interim chief executive Stacey van der Putten said the organisation wanted to better understand how South Auckland communities preferred to travel.

"We do know that there is not as high a pick-up as other areas in terms of using public transport," she said.

"With that in mind, we've actually got the team doing a bit of a review, particularly on that bus integration aspect to make sure we're maximising it and working with the community to understand how people want to travel."

Van der Putten said Auckland Transport was reviewing 55 bus routes to improve connections with the rail network and make transfers easier once the City Rail Link opens.

Rather than dramatically cutting travel times for South Auckland commuters, Van der Putten said the biggest benefit would be better connections across Auckland.

"It's about those direct connections more than it is travel time savings for the South initially," she said.

Passengers travelling from Manukau, for example, will be able to go directly to destinations such as Kingsland without changing trains in the city centre.

More frequent services are also expected to create what Auckland Transport describes as a "turn up and go" network.

Van der Putten said Auckland Transport also recognised there was growing demand for more affordable fares, including a family travel pass.

A train at Karanga-a-Hape Station during a City Rail Link operational test. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata

"We do know that there is an unmet demand for a family-type pass," she said.

She said work on the National Ticketing Solution meant Auckland Transport could not introduce new fare products immediately, but the idea was being explored.

Rebuilding public confidence after years of rail closures is another priority.

"There's no denying that train services over many years have been hugely disruptive."

Van der Putten said making the network more reliable would be key to encouraging more people back onto buses and trains.

Passenger information screens at Karanga-a-Hape Station during a City Rail Link operational test. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata

She also said it was important that frontline staff reflected the communities they served.

"We do aim to make sure that we have good representation of the communities that we serve," she said.

"If you go to Manukau Bus Station or Manukau Station, you do see Pacific people from the community representing the community there... for building trust but also being able to communicate well."

Bevan Assink, Chief Metro Officer at KiwiRail, said the three-kilometre City Rail Link was only part of a much bigger investment across Auckland's rail network.

"They need to be assured that it's reliable, that it's available for them, and they can use it, so they can really trust it," he said.

Additional stations at Drury Central, Paerata and Ngākōroa are also expected to strengthen rail services for Auckland’s growing southern communities.

Louise Pengelly, Director of City Rail Link Operations at Auckland One Rail, said staff would be on hand across the network when services begin to help passengers adjust to the biggest timetable Auckland’s rail system has seen in decades.

"The main thing we're aiming for is to give everybody a safe and reliable journey, and it's seamless," Pengelly said.

Van der Putten said success would ultimately depend on whether Aucklanders chose to return to public transport.

"If I was to stand here in a year and reflect on what we've had, I would say that people are speaking really positively about train services and what this project has done for the city."

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.