Eden Park seeks rail upgrades after fans wait up to 40 minutes

Eden Park is calling for infrastructure improvements around the stadium after thousands were left waiting for trains after Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup match.

The stadium’s chief executive, Nick Sautner, said Auckland Council and Auckland Transport (AT) need to “urgently address the transport and infrastructure improvements” that are needed.

In particular, upgrades to the Morningside and Kingsland train stations and a pedestrian footbridge across Sandringham Rd.

As more large-scale events come to the ground, he said, transport infrastructure will be needed to accommodate the growing number of fans.

The All Blacks extended their unbeaten Eden Park record with a 50-19 win over the Wallabies last night in “another memorable occasion”, but “delivering a world-class experience is about much more than what happens inside the stadium”.

“We want the entire journey, from the street to the seat, to be just as memorable.”

“The City Rail Link is a gamechanger for Auckland, but we need to ensure the infrastructure connecting people to the stadium can support the opportunities it creates.”

Thousands were waiting well after last night’s match had ended to be herded on to jam-packed carriages, with one broadcaster describing it as “a bit of a mess”.

One fan had to stand the equivalent of half a match to get on to a train at the nearby Kingsland Station.

Thousands of rugby fans clog streets outside Eden Park waiting up to 40 minutes to catch a train home.

East-West trains were not ready to leave immediately after the game because a delay to closing [the] Morningside Drive level crossing to cars meant trains could not get in place to line up at Kingsland Station on time, AT General Manager Rail Services Mark Lambert said.

“The timing of the Morningside Drive closure was part of the agreed traffic management plan, which AT does not implement, and it was disappointing this caused delays to trains.”

That meant some fans were waiting up to 40 minutes.

“Although it can be frustrating to wait, huge crowds do take time to clear. A six-car train can carry about 1,000 people, so it takes time for each train to load.”

AT will continue working with the council and Eden Park to improve how event transport is run, Lambert said.

He highlighted that trains and event buses “cleared the vast majority of fans” within an hour after the match, meeting the target.

Lambert said 15,000 fans caught a train to the match while 19,710 in total used special event public transport.

Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner has called for Auckland Transport and Auckland Council to upgrade transport infrastructure around the stadium. Photo / Alex Burton

Sautner said around 40% of operating costs go towards integrated ticketing and traffic management.

“Given the significant cost involved, we expect the transport services and infrastructure supporting our events to reflect that expenditure and deliver the standard of experience fans should expect from a world-class city.”

A footbridge across Sandringham Rd was planned before the 2011 Rugby World Cup but did not go ahead, while improvements to Kingsland and Morningside stations are critical to support the expansion of Eden Park’s event calendar, Sautner said.

Bruno Mars is playing three sold-out shows at the venue, and the ground will host a State of Origin match next year.

“We recognise these improvements won’t be delivered in time for next year, but our ambitions extend well beyond 2027, which is why attention needs to be given to them now.”

“If we’re serious about being a world-class, ambitious city, we need to ensure our infrastructure reflects that ambition,” said Sautner.

Director of Transport and Infrastructure at the council, Steve Mutton, told the Herald that large events like the test demonstrated the “critical role” of the Morningside and Kingsland stations.

The council was considering potential rail station upgrades and level crossing removals as it plans for significant growth in the area.