Dates revealed for Aucklanders' first chance to go inside new CRL stations

Author: Natasha Gordon,
Publish Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2026, 3:06pm

Dates have been revealed for Aucklanders’ first chance to walk through the soon-to-open City Rail Link (CRL) stations.

As the opening edges closer, Auckland’s train timetable is expected to “change completely”.

There will be three new train lines, East West, South City and Onehunga West, and three new city stations.

An exact opening date is yet to be revealed, but Auckland Transport (AT) earlier announced the much-awaited day would be on a Sunday in the second half of this year.

Open days and new journey planner tool

AT has shared three dates in August for free public “first look” events at each station.

These will be ticketed sessions and numbers will be limited.

Mark Lambert, AT group manager for rail services, said this opportunity would be the first time the public could enter Auckland’s newest stations before services started.

The events will be over consecutive Saturdays in August:

August 8 – First Look at Maungawhau
August 15 – First Look at Karanga-a-Hape
August 22 – First Look at Te Waihorotiu

Visitors will be able to walk through the stations during one of 10 one-hour sessions starting from 8am.

AT said guests will learn about the designs and hear more about how the new rail network will operate.

Low-sensory and early bird sessions, busking and community performances, food, pop-up experiences, interactive installations and activities will be available.

AT has shared three dates in August for free public “first look” events at each station. Photo / Michael Craig

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.

Andy Baker, Auckland Council Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee chair, said to help people prepare for the upcoming changes, the new feature would allow users to switch between today’s network and the future CRL-enabled network.

“We want people to get familiar with the new lines and where the new stations sit.

“Even a small change, such as your regular train arriving a few minutes earlier or later, can have a big impact on your day and we want to help people plan ahead,” Lambert said.

After the launch of the CRL, trains will run every five minutes through the city centre and, on average, about 10 minutes elsewhere on the network during peak times.