Wiri to Quay Park – Third Main

Vitruvius’ Founder Neil Mason, was engaged as the Engineer to the Contract for this crucial $315m rail corridor upgrade.  The project delivered a third main track to ease congestion along one of the busiest sections of New Zealand’s North Island Main Trunk line in South Auckland, between Wiri and the Westfield rail facility. The additional track enabled slow-moving freight trains to be separated from passenger services, reducing delays to commuter services. It also increased capacity across Auckland’s metro network ahead of the City Rail Link opening, and improved connections at several key hubs.

The project involved a number of complex and challenging phases, including:

• Major transformations between Westfield and Wiri junctions
• Third line construction through the Middlemore hospital area down to Wiri container terminal
• Improvements and upgrades to Auckland Port and the Quay Park approaches.

The benefits of this project are immense. The third main track now provides rail operators with greater redundancy and resilience, supporting more reliable freight and passenger services.

Westfield and Wiri Junctions

These are the busiest junctions for both freight and commuter trains. The works improved connections (entry and exit points) between the rail yards, Auckland Transport’s EMU (electric trains) depot, and the main line, enabling freight and commuter services to operate on separate tracks and improving overall network efficiency.

Middlemore to Wiri

The existing rail corridor was widened in places to accommodate the third track between Middlemore and Wiri, increasing capacity for both freight and commuter services without one impeding the other.

While Puhinui and Papatoetoe stations were already able to accommodate the new track, upgrades were required at Middlemore Station, including the construction of a new platform and overbridges to ensure safe access across the rail corridor.

Quay Park

Works at Quay Park focused on separating freight and commuter movements. Changes to the track layout provided dedicated rail access to the Ports of Auckland freight yard, while two additional scissor crossovers were installed to improve operational flexibility.