Auckland, New Zealand covers a large area for its population size (about 1.7 million people spread over nearly 4,900km2 in 2018). Such a large city requires a lot of travel to get around, and as such needs an extensive public transport system. On a recent trip to Auckland, I used the train to go into town one day as I didn’t feel like tackling the traffic and inner-city parking.
The following is the basics of how Auckland’s train system works (the train system is only part of Auckland public transport – also made up by buses and ferries).
Train Lines
Auckland’s trains run on four lines: Southern, Eastern, Western, and Onehunga. All lines eventually come into Britomart Station, the large transport hub in the centre city. Britomart also connects the train system to major bus services and is right next to the main ferry terminal.
Southern Line – The Southern line runs from Papakura in the South to Britomart in the centre city. Other major stations include Manurewa, Otahuhu, Penrose, and Newmarket. Trains arrive/depart from stations approximately every 20-30 minutes during the day, every 10 minutes during peak-hour.
Onehunga Line – This line runs from Onehunga to Britomart. It runs alongside the Southern line from Penrose. The other major station on this line is Newmarket. Trains arrive/depart from stations about half-hourly every day.
Eastern Line – The Eastern line runs from Manukau to Britomart. It runs alongside the Southern line from Puhinui to Otahuhu. Other major stations on this line include Panmure and Sylvia Park. Trains go through stations about every 10 minutes during peak-hour and every 20-30 minutes over the rest of the day.
Western Line – This line runs from Swanson to Newmarket with a rail link up to Britomart. Other major stations include Henderson and New Lynn. Trains run every 20-30 minutes in daytime, more often during peak-hour.
Buying Tickets
Tickets for Auckland trains must be bought before boarding the train. Several large stations (such as Britomart) have people who will check that you have a ticket before you can enter or leave the station. Aside from that, train workers can check for a valid ticket (or card) at any time. Tickets are valid for two hours after they are bought, so should not be bought too far in advance.
Service Counter – some of the larger stations have customer service desks that can sell you a ticket. If they are there and open, buying a ticket is easy: just tell the person behind the counter what station you would like to go to.
Machine – Ticket machines can be found at all stations (some have more than others). They are dark blue and are often found by walls on the main station building. They are easy to use (some are not so easy to find); just follow the instructions on the screen.
AT HOP Cards – if you are going to be using the trains a lot, it might be worth buying an AT HOP Card. The card itself costs $10 NZD (at this time) but gets you a discount on fares and makes paying for public transport easier. Cards can be bought at a variety of retailers around the city or online, and topped-up at retailers, machines, and counters. To use, just hold the card against the card reader or gate at the station where you start your journey, and again at your destination.
Pricing
For the purposes of pricing for public transport, Auckland is split into zones. The cost of a journey depends on how many zones you pass through. What particular zones you pass through doesn’t matter – the number of zones does.
With an AT HOP Card, the number of zones you go through is automatically calculated and the cost of the journey deducted from you account. This can save you a lot of money if you are using both buses and trains as the price of the journey calculated based on how many zones you go through, not the total of the costs of the individual bus or train trips.
Conclusion
Auckland’s train lines provide a useful base for the city’s public transport. They are a fantastic way to cover longer distances quickly and easily throughout the city. However, there are many parts of the city that cannot be accessed by train and also require use of a bus. For more information (including exact and up-to-date prices), check out the Auckland Transport website.
