Tag: Wiri

First New EMU Unveiled

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Our First Electric Train Unveiled

 

Yesterday Mayor Len Brown and Auckland Transport head Dr Lester Levy unveiled our brand new first Electric train at the new Wiri Depot.

I will let Matt from Auckland Transport Blog do all the “speaking” from his experience yesterday at the event: Our First Electric Train.

 

What I will make mention of is the planned roll out of the new EMU’s across the Auckland network over the next two-year period. From ATB who got it from Auckland Transport:

Essentially from what I have learnt (and this can change so Auckland Transport if I do have this next bit wrong can you let me know and I shall correct it ASAP) this will be the roll out plan Line by Line:

The roll out of the EMU’s is the following:
1) Onehunga Line 
2) Manukau Line 
3) Southern Line and Eastern Line 
4) Western Line 
5) Pukekohe (this is dependent on when Pukekohe gets electrified (if it is done by the end of next year then Pukekohe will join the Southern and Eastern Lines at number 3)

The Onehunga Line was chosen first as it is the shortest line to test the new EMUs on. Then the Manukau Line is next soon after that.

The reason those two lines were chosen first was two-fold:
1) Retire the ADK class DMUs from the fleet first up
2) Free up the ADL DMU’s for Pukekohe runs and extra Southern Line runs

The West is last as they have the DFT 6-car sets which hold the most passengers in the diesel fleet. As more EMU’s come on stream the DC-4 (and 5) car sets will be sent west to add more frequency until all the EMU’s are here to replace them.

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Of course with Pukekohe due to be electrified (and two new stations added in that area (Drury and Paerata), the City Rail Link on its way, the Mt Roskill Spur Line under active consideration, and the Manukau Rail South Link due to be reported on in November I think Auckland might want to be taking another option of 15 more EMU’s to give some residual capacity (especially if we start top-and-tailing the consists to get EMU-6 car sets). But I suppose we will have to wait and see what “options” Auckland Transport take on more EMU’s.

 

In any case, can not wait to ride on these new machines once they are in operation from Papakura.

 

Related articles

 

The First EMU Arrived

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Auckland’s First Electric Train has Arrived

 

I caught this on Twitter last night while at the launch of (Deputy Mayor) Penny’s Hulse’s campaign launch in Henderson last night

Photo Credit: Port of Auckland

41Ports of Auckland ‏@AucklandsPort16h

Hi @mayorlenbrown, your new train set has arrived at your port 😉 @AklTransport pic.twitter.com/cEjV9J5JpV

Embedded image permalink

That is the two motor units and the middle “trailer” unit that will make up our first EMU commuter/metro train.

The consist will head down to the new Wiri Depot for extensive testing before it will come into service next year. Exciting times ahead.

Mayor Len Brown was also at Penny Hulse‘s campaign launch last night and I was able to deliver him the good news of the EMU arrival after seeming it on Twitter (thank you POAL for the Tweet and photo).

I can safely say there was excitement all round after the announcement.

Talking Auckland will be looking back at the journey of electrification and will produce a series of it very soon.

 

But for now Auckland takes one step closer towards the 21st Century with its transport system

 

 

Auckland Plan Committee – Unitary Plan Deliberations – Take 3

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Third Round of Unitary Plan Deliberations

 

This Thursday after the conclusion of the Governing Body meeting the Auckland Plan Committee will meet for the second time to deliberate over the Unitary Plan workshop recommendations.

Apart from the Rural Urban Boundary issue which saw the workshop recommend the “Corridor” option for the South, there is not that much “heavy” stuff on there – well for me to pay attention to any how.

However I will still go sit in the public seating area and see which Councillors will go and grandstand this time around (after Brewer and Coney did last time much to extreme annoyance).

You can see the Agenda and Recommendations for the Committee including workshop recommendations below:

 

Looking at the Workshop Timetable I see the next round is the Local Board/APC Combined session where Local Board resolutions are forwarded on the Unitary Plan. After that a major workshop covering:

  • City Centre (possibly Manukau as well)
  • Place based Precincts
  • Education Precincts (Usually areas around Tertiary Campuses)
  • Industrial Zones (that is a biggie especially concerning the Penrose and Wiri heavy industrial complexes)
  • Retirement Villages / Converted Dwellings

 

Which reminds me, I need to get back to the Deputy Mayor in opening up one of those combined Local Board/APC workshops open to the media for observation.

Apart from that – some heavy stuff coming up with the Unitary Plan

 

TALKING AUCKLAND

Talking Auckland: Blog of TotaRim Consultancy Limited

TotaRim Consultancy
Bringing Well Managed Progress to Auckland and The Unitary Plan

Auckland: 2013 – YOUR CITY, YOUR CALL

 

 

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Concerns on the Manukau South Link

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Port of Auckland – Can we talk please?

Caught this today in the Manukau Courier. Rather interesting that they bring this up today of all days. Ah well lets take a look:

Wiri train tracks block access

Creating a southern connection between the Manukau Train Station and the main trunk line could be more difficult than first thought.

Local boards throughout the south have called for the link so passengers can travel from Manukau to Papakura and Pukekohe directly.

Passengers wanting to head south from Manukau now have to transfer at Papatoetoe.

But a Kiwirail spokeswoman says if the connection gets approval it would need to cross tracks that lead to Ports of Auckland’s inland port at Wiri.

That would require reconstruction of those tracks.

“This part of the rail corridor has quite complex track layouts because of the Manukau branch junction, the port facility and the EMU [Electric Multiple Units] depot,” she says.

A Ports of Auckland spokesman didn’t want to comment on how ripping up its tracks could affect operations at the port because no-one had put forward an official proposal to do the work.

But Manurewa Local Board chairwoman Angela Dalton says linking the Manukau station with the main trunk line made more sense than other transport projects being pushed.

“It doesn’t make sense to me, pouring money into the city rail link when we need to get things moving out here.

“We need to get cars off the streets and the trains connecting effectively.”

Auckland Transport‘s main priority at the Manukau line is double-tracking it so services can run every 10 minutes to and from Britomart, council documents show.

It’s also assessing the viability of a link between the two lines as part of its rail development plan.

 

The Manukau South (Rail) Link is a project that I have been following closely since I first raised the point that a Electrification Mast would be in the road of the south link early last year. It is a project that I still follow closely while Auckland Transport develop a case study for this link – that south so desperately need!

In saying that though has anyone actually approached Port of Auckland and had a decent conversation with them on how the South Link might work. Work as in POAL has their Wiri Inland Port that covers part of the South Link path. And whether POAL should move their Wiri facility 900 metres down the road where this is a mothballed siding and massive block of land sitting vacant.

Port of Auckland I think we of the South need to have a chat over coffee and hot scones. What do you think?