Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
Work to rebuild the foundations of Auckland's Western Line in preparation for the City Rail Link is nearly complete and rush-hour trains have returned to a 10-minute frequency.
KiwiRail's chief infrastructure officer Andre Lovatt says passengers on the Western Line can expect the reliability of services to improve.
"Although there will continue to be rail closures and changes to services as other upgrades continue, Western Line passengers can expect to see some reliability improvements in the coming months as final track work is completed."
The work was carried out at more than 30 different sites between Newmarket and New Lynn.
Final upgrades at a small number of sites were finished during the weekend and essential track work, including de-stressing rails, was being completed overnight during coming weeks.
Lovatt acknowledged the work has been disruptive for both passengers and the rail network neighbours, and thanked them for their understanding.
"To ensure the rail network is ready for City Rail Link a huge amount of new and upgraded infrastructure is required. Over three to four years KiwiRail is carrying out what would usually be 10 years of work - so there will be disruption on the way to unlocking the significant improvements City Rail Link will bring passengers."
He said more than half of the rail network rebuild work was complete and sections of the Southern and Eastern lines that have been rebuilt have improved reliability and train speeds.