Major rail upgrades to bring more frequent and reliable services mean no trains will be running from Friday 20 June to Monday 23 June 2025, as essential upgrade works are carried out across the city’s rail lines over the extended Matariki long weekend.
This closure across the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Onehunga Lines is needed so that KiwiRail, City Rail Link Limited and AT can continue vital network upgrade works ahead of the City Rail Link opening in 2026.
No trains will operate during this period, including on Monday 23 June, a standard weekday. People should also be aware there will be changes to train services during the upcoming winter school holidays.
To support passengers, AT will operate frequent all-stop rail replacement bus services throughout the rail closure period. For some passengers AT’s regular scheduled bus services will also be a good alternative.
AT’s Group Manager Rail Services Mark Lambert says closures like this are needed to get the wider Auckland rail network ready for the faster, more frequent train services that will come when the City Rail Link opens.
“We understand this closure will be disruptive—especially with Monday being a regular workday—but it is a necessary step to ensure the future reliability and efficiency of our rail network,” Mr Lambert says.
“We’ve timed this work over a long weekend to reduce disruption for our passengers as much as possible, and we’re doing everything we can to keep people moving.”
The upgrade work includes track renewals, foundation upgrades and drainage improvements as part of KiwiRail’s Rail Network Rebuild programme, the installation of fibre optic cables across the rail network, and maintenance work at train stations that would be too disruptive to undertake when services were running.
“The work AT and our partners are doing now will help unlock the benefits of the City Rail Link and transform how people move around our city,” Mr Lambert says.
“We know that for many people this is likely to be frustrating. But this is a once-in-a-generation upgrade, so we’re asking Aucklanders to bear with us just a little longer so we can deliver a faster, more reliable, and more frequent rail service for everyone.”
KiwiRail Chief Metro and Capital Programme Officer David Gordon says: “KiwiRail is progressing works at pace especially on the Southern Line where we still have more to do to improve foundations and drainage to ensure our network is resilient.”
“Our teams will be working night and day to get as much completed as possible during the four days.”
