Avondale railway station, Auckland

Avondale
Auckland Transport Urban rail
General information
LocationLayard Street, Avondale
Owned byKiwiRail (track and platforms)
Auckland Transport (buildings)
Operated byAuckland One Rail
Line(s)Western Line
PlatformsSide platforms
TracksMainline (2)
Construction
Platform levels1
ParkingStreet parking only
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAVD
Fare zoneIsthmus
History
Opened1880
Rebuilt2010
Electrified25 kV AC[1]
Passengers
20091,206 passengers/day
Services
Preceding station Auckland Transport
(Auckland One Rail) 		Following station
Mount Albert
towards Waitematā
 Western Line New Lynn
towards Swanson

Avondale railway station is on the Western Line of the Auckland railway network. Relocated in 2008, the station can be accessed from St Jude St, Layard St, and Crayford St.

The proposed Avondale–Southdown Line would connect to the Western Line just east of the station.

History

  • 1880: Opened as one of the original stations on the North Auckland Line.[2][3] The station was known as Whau for the first two years of its existence.[4]
  • 1882: A post office opened as part of the station.[2]
  • 1912: The post office closed.[2]
  • 1914: The platform was upgraded to an island platform layout with a new building on the new platform.[2]
  • 1915: A signal box was added.[2]
  • 1966: The line to Morningside was double-tracked.[2]
  • 1967: The signal box was removed after this section changed to centralised traffic control.[2]
  • 1993: The platform was raised to meet the requirements of ex-Perth trains.[2]
  • 1995: The station building was relocated to Swanson.[2] Originally planned for demolition due to its poor state, Waitakere Community Board members Dave Harré and Penny Hulse lobbied the New Zealand Railways Corporation to save and refurbish the building.[5]
  • 2008: The footbridge was demolished, the platform removed and a temporary station erected 50m to the east of the site.
  • 2010: A new station was constructed and the line double-tracked westward beyond Avondale. The station opened on 14 June.
  • 2014: Platforms extended to 150m from 143m for the new electric AM[6] class EMU trains.

Upgrade and relocation

The old station just prior to demolition at the end of 2008. The new station is located around the bend to the left.

Until 26 December 2008 it had an island platform just west of Blockhouse Bay Road, reached via a footbridge off the road. In 2010 an upgraded station was built on Layard Street, north of the St Jude Street level crossing and approximately 100m west and 200m south of the old station.

The new station provides better connections with the Avondale town centre and the platform is on a straight section of track, unlike the old platform which was on a large sharp curve.[7]

Electrification work was completed and the station began serving electric trains in 2015.

Services

A number of bus routes pass nearby on Great North Road, Rosebank Road and Blockhouse Bay Road. These include routes 18, 22N, 22R, 149, 191, 195, 209 and 670.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Auckland Electrifcation Map" (PDF). KiwiRail. September 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Railway Stations of Auckland's Western Line (2004) by Sean Millar
  3. ^ Scoble, Juliet (2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  4. ^ Avondale Te Whau Heritage Walks (Auckland: Auckland City Council, [2008?])
  5. ^ Adam, Jack; Burgess, Vivien; Ellis, Dawn (2004). Rugged Determination: Historical Window on Swanson 1854-2004. Swanson Residents and Ratepayers Association Inc. p. 63. ISBN 0-476-00544-2.
  6. ^ New Zealand AM class electric multiple unit
  7. ^ "Project DART update July 2007" (PDF). July 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2008.
  8. ^ "Central Guide" (PDF). Auckland Transport. Retrieved 20 June 2022.

36°53′49.34″S 174°41′56.86″E / 36.8970389°S 174.6991278°E / -36.8970389; 174.6991278