Approval has been given for the first Te Huia Sunday service between Waikato and Auckland stations.
Te Huia
The passenger service will leave Frankton in Hamilton on the afternoon of July 27 for a three and a half hour journey to central Auckland and the return journey will start early that evening.
A timetable plan for the Sunday afternoon service was approved by Auckland Metro in May.
Waikato Regional Council’s Regional Transport Connections director Phil King said it was a “significant step forward for our Waikato to Auckland rail service as it enters the final year of its trial”.
“It will strengthen connectivity, support tourism, and make the service better for workers, students and families travelling between both regions. It will especially provide an alternative travel option to large sporting and cultural events and provide connection seven days a week to the Auckland Airport.
He said it came in time for the council to assess its success ahead of a NZ Transport Agency decision early next year on the future of Te Huia.
KiwiRail’s executive general manager Passenger Tracey Goodall said patronage on Te Huia was growing and the service expanding.
Work upgrading the Auckland network would cause some delays.
“A final push to upgrade the rail network in Auckland is ongoing for the rest of this year and into 2026, ahead of the City Rail Link opening and at times KiwiRail’s Waikato maintenance teams will need more time working on the tracks between Hamilton and Pukekohe,” Goodall said.
“This means occasional disruption to the Te Huia service, but we are trying to keep this to a minimum wherever possible, while still delivering the much-needed Auckland upgrade.”
