Auckland’s rail network has recorded its busiest week ever in the first seven days of CRL services, a strong early sign of Aucklanders embracing the new system, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown say.

A total of 528,007 train boardings were recorded between Sunday 13 September and Saturday 19 September, beating the previous seven-day record of 504,380 set in March 2019 by more than 23,000.

“The CRL is one of the most significant transport investments in New Zealand’s history, and it’s fantastic to see Aucklanders getting on board in such huge numbers after waiting years for its arrival,” Mr Bishop says.

“The week before the CRL opened, Auckland’s rail network recorded 325,203 boardings. One week later, patronage was up by around 62 per cent, showing the immediate difference the new system is already making to the way Aucklanders move around the city.

“People were eager to try the new network right from the first services on Sunday, with early risers turning up for the first train at 4.57am from Ōtāhuhu. By the end of opening day, 56,757 train boardings had been recorded. Momentum continued to build throughout the week, peaking at 85,289 boardings on Thursday.

“The network also performed strongly as Aucklanders got used to the biggest change to the city’s rail system in generations. Punctuality and reliability of train services remained consistently in the mid-to-high 90 per cent range throughout the working week, strengthening further as the week went on.

“A strong performance in the first week was important for building confidence in the CRL as a reliable, genuine public transport alternative for Aucklanders who might otherwise choose to travel by car.

“For years, the focus was on getting the CRL built. Now the exciting part begins as we see what Auckland can do with it, joining the great modern cities around the world where fast, frequent rapid transit is part of everyday life.”

Mayor Wayne Brown says the record-breaking week is a strong start for the CRL, with the focus now on maintaining momentum and growing patronage.

“The first week of this transformational investment delivered exactly what we expected, with strong public interest in the addition of a modern underground rail system into our rail network, fully integrated into Auckland’s wider public transport network,” Mayor Brown says.

“Aucklanders from across the region have seen the benefits of significantly reduced travel times, more frequent services, and much better access to destinations across the city centre and beyond.

“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.

“The challenge now is to keep building on this success and continue growing passenger numbers.

“The CRL is a game changer for Auckland. With Auckland Transport 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.

“I look forward to seeing how the CRL transforms our city, and I’ll continue pushing for better, faster, and more cost-effective outcomes for Aucklanders.”Note to editors:

* Punctuality and reliability figures on Sunday 13 September were impacted by the knock-on effects of an early morning Waitematā Station fire. These affected the planned additional services in the CRL Day 1 special timetable, while the 'base' Sunday timetable ran as planned once services were cleared to resume.

* Patronage statistics are sourced from AT’s official HOP and payment card data and differ from the estimated boarding statistics provided by AT last week.