Billboards spill the beans ahead of schedule on Auckland's CRL opening date

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2026, 7:17am

An opening date for Auckland’s long-awaited City Rail Link (CRL) has been revealed ahead of the official announcement this morning - apparently by the city council’s own advertising department.

The country’s largest infrastructure project will be open to the public on September 13, according to electronic billboards appearing around the city centre early this morning.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown were intending to reveal the long-awaited date outside the new Karanga-a-Hape station at a press conference this morning.

The Herald has asked Bishop’s office and Auckland Transport (AT) if the timing of the billboards was an accident.

The billboards have since been swapped out with ads saying the CRL is “arriving soon”.

The electronic billboards have changed over to a version saying the City Rail Link is "arriving soon". Photo / Michael Craig

AT earlier announced the day would be on a Sunday, to help cope with the expected demand.

AT has also announced a new Journey Planner tool, which shows what public transport trips will look like when CRL opens.

The Journey Planner preview launch is set to coincide with the release of the initial CRL opening timetable that will take effect when services begin.

Auckland Transport's new map shows how the City Rail Link will transform the transit network in the city.

The date of September 13 had been suggested to the Herald this week.

Starting this weekend, AT is running three Saturday sessions to show the project to the public.

Those with free tickets can visit the stations.

The soon to be opened Beresford Square entrance to Karanga-a-Hape Station, part of the City Rail Link. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

The city’s mayor says the council’s 50/50 share of the project is why Super City rates have been hiked by 7.9%.

In May, former CRL CEO Sean Sweeney told the Herald there were missed opportunities earlier in the project, where money could have been saved.

The Government has said there will be a full review of the project, including cost and time blowouts.

Once the link is running, trains will run every five minutes through the city centre and, on average, about 10 minutes elsewhere on the network during peak times.