An artist's impression of KiwiRail's Drury Central station, which is expected to open in 2025. Photo: Supplied via LDR
KiwiRail wants feedback on new train stations in Drury and Paerātā which it says will cater for the area's rapidly growing population.
A government's upgrade programme is providing funding for three new stations between Papakura and Pukekohe, expected to cost $495 million and be completed in 2025.
But KiwiRail has been stuck in a legal battle with developer Charles Ma over the location of the third station in Drury West.
It is now seeking public feedback on two of the stations at Drury Central and Paerātā, which will include bus interchanges, park and ride facilities, as well as walking and cycle paths.
According to KiwiRail, they are vital to cope with the rapid growth of the city south of Papakura, which is expected to see its population grow by more than 100,000 over 30 years.
The three new stations would make rail more accessible and appealing, it said.
The Drury Central and Paerātā station park and rides will contain up to 350 parking spaces each, while the Dury West station will have up to 200.
But not everyone is pleased with KiwiRail's plans. Matt Lowrie is the editor of transport and urban design blog Greater Auckland and said KiwiRail's design for the Drury Central station needed work.
"My big concern with this station is that they seem to have designed [it] to make it as hard as possible to access from the new housing planned for the area unless those residents drive," Lowrie said.
A KiwiRail map of the proposed location of the Drury Central station. Photo: Supplied via LDR
The station's park and ride should instead be moved north of Waihoehoe Rd and those using it should be charged, he said.
It would provide an incentive to those who did not want to walk, cycle, or catch a bus, Lowrie said.
But Auckland councillor and Drury resident Andy Baker said the park and rides were an important feature of KiwiRail's plans and they should instead have more capacity.
"Taking into account the uncertainty over the Drury West station at the moment, they should be starting at 500 car parks at each of the Drury Central and Paerātā stations and go up from there," he said.
And he did not think there would be a shortage of demand from locals, he said.
"Those park and rides will be at capacity from day one," Baker said.
"In areas like Franklin a lot of people don't have any other option than to drive to the train station. So if we want to get people off the roads and onto public transport we need to be practical, instead of being idealistic."
Public consultation closes on 17 December.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air