Parnell railway station

Parnell
Looking towards Parnell tunnel from the Down Main line platform, 2023
General information
LocationParnell, Auckland
New Zealand
Coordinates36°51′19″S 174°46′40″E / 36.855336°S 174.777760°E / -36.855336; 174.777760
SystemAuckland Transport Urban rail
OwnerKiwiRail (track and platforms)
Auckland Transport (buildings)
OperatorAuckland One Rail
LineNewmarket Line
Distance2.10 km (1.30 mi) from Newmarket[1]
PlatformsSide platforms (P1 & P2)
TracksMainline (2)
Construction
ParkingNo
Cycle facilities
No
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAKD[2]
Fare zoneCity
History
Opened12 March 2017 (2017-03-12)
ElectrifiedApril 2014[3]
Passengers
20172,900/week[4]
Services
Preceding station Auckland Transport
(Auckland One Rail)		 Following station
Waitematā
Terminus
 Southern Line Newmarket
towards Pukekohe
Western Line Newmarket
towards Swanson
Location

Parnell railway station is a station serving the inner-city suburb of Parnell in Auckland, New Zealand. It is situated on the Newmarket Line, approximately 600m north of Parnell Tunnel, and is located in the Waipapa Valley adjacent to Auckland Domain. It is served by the Southern Line and Western Line.

The station provides access to Auckland Domain, Parnell Town Centre, and the University of Auckland.

History

The line through the area opened on 24 December 1873.[5] A request was made for trains to stop at Parnell, but in 1878 the Public Works Department claimed there was too little traffic[6]

In August 1909 duplication of the railway from Auckland to the Parnell Signal Box was completed. Following the completion of a new double track tunnel alongside the old Parnell Tunnel in March 1915, the second track had been extended to Newmarket by June 1915.[7]

The Parnell Diesel Depot was built in 1955,[7] for inspection and repair of all diesel locomotives in the northern district as well as railcars.[8] Later it was used by the Mainline Steam Heritage Trust.[9]

Planning and construction

The station under construction, November 2016.

After a plan to lease part of the area as a bus depot was cancelled,[10] KiwiRail and Auckland Council were asked in 2010 by the outgoing Auckland Regional Council (ARC) to make an early start on construction of the proposed station, which was to cost $13 million or more, to ensure that there would not need to be costly extra work after the electrification of the line as part of the Auckland railway electrification.[11] It was proposed that several million dollars saved during the upgrade of the Newmarket station be allocated to this new station.[10]

Three station locations were proposed by ARC staff - including at the Parnell Bridge Overpass, Carlaw Park, and Cheshire Street.[12]

Lobbying by the Parnell Business Association,[13] local residents, and councillor Mike Lee[14] saw the Cheshire Street location chosen for the station. The new location was suggested in order to serve as a "niche station for visitors to the heritage Parnell precinct and the Auckland War Memorial Museum."[15] The location of the station has been criticised for its poor accessibility and perceived weaker outcomes.[12][16][17]

The former depot, 2009

The early proposal would also integrate the new station with some of the historic railway workshop sheds of the adjacent Mainline Steam depot[18] but nothing eventuated. The Mainline Steam Heritage Trust had its lease on the depot terminated by KiwiRail and completed its move from the site in June 2015.[19] The sheds were demolished in September 2015.

The heritage station building, designed by George Troup, was built in 1908 to serve Newmarket Junction.[20] It was removed from Newmarket during a 2008–2010 upgrade, then relocated onto the Parnell station Down Main platform in 2016–2017.[21] As of early 2019, the station building is used to house artist studios and a gallery.[22]

Opening

Parnell railway station, March 2017. The relocated Newmarket station building is undergoing refurbishment.

In late 2015, Auckland Transport advised that opening the Parnell station to passenger services was being postponed until the completion of a road bridge at Cowie Street, replacing the nearby level crossing on Sarawia Street.[23][24] AT received approval from independent planning commissioners in June 2016. The following November, the commissioners' recommendation for the bridge was appealed. If AT had been unable to address the concerns expressed in the appeal, an Environment Court hearing (most likely in early 2017) would have decided whether the appeal would be upheld.[25]

The station opened on 12 March 2017 with relatively basic facilities and initially serving a limited number of lines.[26] The official opening by Mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff, and Waitematā Local Board chair Pippa Coom was on 13 March 2017.[27]

In July–August 2018, the Cowie Street bridge to Laxon Terrace was completed and opened and the Sarawia Street level crossing was closed to road traffic.[28] As a result, a new timetable introduced on 26 August 2018 allowed Parnell to become a stop on all Southern Line and Western Line services.[28]

Station layout

The station is located next to the Auckland Domain, where the Auckland War Memorial Museum is situated 1.2 kilometres away.[29] The two side platforms are linked by an underpass.[30] Voice announcements onboard train services warn passengers with mobility needs to avoid using Parnell station due to its steep inclines.[31]

A walkway was established in November 2018 connecting the Parnell Station to the University of Auckland's Carlaw Park Student Village and the Carlaw business centre.[32] A second pedestrian underpass opened on 23 January 2024 at the northern end of the station, to provide step-free access to both platforms and a more direct way to cross the tracks.[33][34]

Diesel depot

Parnell diesel depot under construction, 1955

On 20 August 1953 a plan was put to Cabinet for a 160 ft x 80 ft diesel depot, with staff amenity building, 2 overhead cranes, wheel lathe, workshop and store. After construction started, the length of the depot was extended by 60 ft, to accommodate 30 large diesel-electric locomotives which were ordered from North America.[7][8]

Soon after opening it was providing regular facilities for 56 diesel locomotives and 6 railcars. In addition some of the locomotives from Frankton and Taumarunui districts were also dealt with as required. 45 men were employed, with provision for up to 80.[8]

The depot was still doing maintenance work in 1968,[35] but by July 1991 it was used by a preservation group.[7] It became the Mainline Steam Heritage Trust's Auckland depot.[9] The depot finally closed in 2015,[19] and the buildings were later demolished.

Services

Auckland One Rail, on behalf of Auckland Transport, operates suburban services to Waitematā, Swanson, and Pukekohe via Newmarket. The basic inter-peak weekday timetable is:[36][37]

  • 6 trains per hour (tph) to Waitematā from Swanson and Pukekohe
  • 3 tph to Swanson
  • 3 tph to Pukekohe

The Inner Link and the Outer Link bus routes pass close to Parnell station.[38]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Railway Infrastructure Information (PDF) (Report). KiwiRail. 26 May 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Auckland Signalling & Interlocking Arrangements" (PDF). KiwiRail. 31 May 2025. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2025. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Auckland Electrifcation Map" (PDF). KiwiRail. 18 May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "An extra million on the trains in just three months" (Press release). Auckland Transport. 6 April 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  5. ↑ "New Zealand Herald". 25 December 1873.
  6. ↑ "Railway station at Parnell. New Zealand Herald". 30 March 1878.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Juliet Scoble. "Station Archive".
  8. 1 2 3 "New Diesel Depot at Parnell". Staff Bulletin. Vol. 6, no. 1, Jan. - Feb. 1957. Wellington: New Zealand Railways. January 1957. p. 3.
  9. 1 2 "Mainline Steam - The Mercer Project". Mainline Steam Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  10. 1 2 Dearnaley, Mathew (2 November 2010). "KiwiRail abandons bus park idea". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  11. ↑ "ARC presses for Parnell train station". The New Zealand Herald. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  12. 1 2 Gale, Harriet (11 July 2017). "What the hell went wrong with Parnell Station?". The Spinoff. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  13. ↑ McGILLIVRAY, A. M. Y. (9 September 2010). "Cheshire St row heats up". Stuff. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  14. ↑ "A long time coming – the story of the Parnell Station – Mike Lee". Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  15. ↑ McGILLIVRAY, A. M. Y. (9 September 2010). "Cheshire St row heats up". Stuff. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  16. ↑ Wilson, Simon (24 July 2017). "The Parnell train station fiasco, part II: hope". The Spinoff. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  17. ↑ Lowrie, Matt (26 July 2017). "Is Parnell Station Fixable?". Greater Auckland. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "Nicholas Stevens: First the dream, then the bombshell". The New Zealand Herald. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  19. 1 2 "Mainline Steam Heritage Trust, New Zealand – News". Mainline Steam. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "Onehunga unlikely home for old station". Stuff.co.nz. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  21. ↑ "Auckland Transport – Parnell Station". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  22. ↑ "Te TuhiStudios at Cheshire Street". Te Thui. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  23. ↑ "Auckland Transport – Preparation work underway for Parnell Station". Auckland Transport. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  24. ↑ "A long time coming – the story of the Parnell Station". Mike Lee. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  25. ↑ "Auckland Transport – Newmarket level crossing project updates". Auckland Transport. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  26. ↑ "Auckland Transport – Parnell Station". Auckland Transport. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  27. ↑ Fitzgerald, Mary (14 March 2017). "Businesses and residents delighted with Parnell train station opening". Stuff. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  28. 1 2 "Parnell Train Station Timetable Changes". Parnell. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Parnell train station opens". Radio New Zealand. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  30. ↑ Orsman, Bernard (10 March 2017). "Parnell rail station opens with heritage building sporting original colours". The Aucklander. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  31. ↑ "Train station voice announcements - a Official Information Act request to Auckland Transport". FYI. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  32. ↑ "New pathway connection to Parnell Station now open". Our Auckland. Auckland Council. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  33. ↑ "Parnell Station Underpass". Auckland Transport. Auckland Transport. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  34. ↑ "Parnell Station underpass is now open!". Facebook. Auckland Transport. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  35. ↑ "Railway Tradesmen On Strike In Auckland. Press". 3 September 1968.
  36. ↑ "Western Line" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  37. ↑ "Southern Line" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  38. ↑ "Central Guide" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
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