To The Government: When Will Auckland Get the Third Main #MovingAuckland

Written by Ben Ross - Talking Auckland

Freight Train breakdown demonstrates need for the Third Main

 

 

A freight train breaks down on the Southern Line at Te Mahia disrupting passengers getting home.

So my question to the Government is: WHERE IS THAT THIRD MAIN for the Southern Line?

 

The Third Main being a third set of tracks between Papakura and Westfield Junction that would be dedicated to freight trains especially in the peak periods leaving the other two mains free for passenger trains.

Without the Third Main it can be easily argued that capacity for the increasing amount of passenger and freight trains, and even redundancy capacity in the event of a breakdown would soon make the City Rail Link pretty much redundant. That being the CRL would not reach its full potential if we have a bottleneck between Papakura and Westfield given the increasing competition of track space on the existing two mains for both freight and passenger services.

 

So again: Where is that Third Main?

 

And away she goes on her maiden trip from Papakura to Britomart on the Southern Line.
And away she goes on her maiden trip from Papakura to Britomart on the Southern Line.

 

3 thoughts on “To The Government: When Will Auckland Get the Third Main #MovingAuckland”

  1. Third main yes. Also fourth main between Westfield & Wiri junctions. Then we can have express’s 35 min from Puke would attract a lot of patronage.

    Also when is the Government going to commit to rolling stock, with the average age nearly over 40 years these freight trains are going to brake down more & more.

  2. Saw a rant on Facebook last night regarding this with someone who really didn’t know anything but because it was a rant people went all in against AT when there was little information out, and even when I tried to correct them twice it was simply ignored and more people added to the rant. There can be daily problems with the road network but that doesn’t deter anyone from using it but ONE problem with rail and people give up on PT entirely.

    1. Logic for you
      Given Drury to City is about 90mins daily on the Southern Motorway if they want to go park on the motorway 10 times a week feel free.

      Ill just cruise on by on the Southern Line. Given where the breakdown was last night it would have been a straight forward get off at Manukau, walk to the mall and catch the 471 along the Great South Road trundling home.

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