Parnell railway station

Parnell railway station is a station serving the inner-city suburb of Parnell in Auckland, New Zealand. It is situated on the Newmarket Line, approximately 600m north of Parnell Tunnel, and is located in the Waipapa Valley adjacent to Auckland Domain. It is served by the Southern Line and Western Line. The station opened on 12 March 2017 with relatively basic facilities and initially serving a limited number of lines. Future development will involve building a second pedestrian underpass under the tracks to provide step-free access to the platforms, and constructing several new paths to provide more direct access to Auckland Domain, Parnell Town Centre and the University of Auckland. It was originally intended that the station would eventually serve all three lines which pass through it. This was contingent on the removal of the Sarawia Street level crossing in Newmarket, removing the signalling constraints which affected the line. A bridge built to replace the level crossing, linking Laxon Terrace with nearby Cowie Street, allowed the removal of the crossing. History 1865-1915 Construction of the line began in 1865, but it didn't open until 24 December 1873, when the contractors, Brogden's, ran 3 trains a day. Requests were made for trains to stop at Parnell, but in 1878 the Public Works Department claimed there was too little traffic and in 1882 that the “1 in 47 grade renders it quite impossible to place a station at Parnell.” Union Steam Saw Moulding, Sash & Door Co originally had a siding immediately above Parnell Bridge, but in 1884 were refused permission to reopen it. From August 1909 the line between Auckland and Parnell Signal Box was double, in 1915 the new double-track tunnel opened and from 1 June 1915 the line from Parnell Signal Box to Newmarket was also double tracked. 2010-2018 After a plan to lease part of the area as a bus depot was cancelled, KiwiRail and Auckland Council were asked in 2010 by the outgoing Auckland Regional Council (ARC) to make an early start on construction of the proposed station, which was to cost $13 million or more, to ensure that there would not need to be costly extra work after the electrification of the line as part of the Auckland railway electrification. It was proposed that several million dollars saved during the upgrade of the Newmarket station be allocated to this new station. Three station locations were proposed by ARC staff - including at the Parnell Bridge Overpass, Carlaw Park, and Cheshire Street. Lobbying by the Parnell Business Association, local residents, and councillor Mike Lee saw the Cheshire Street location chosen for the station. The new location was suggested in order to serve as a "niche station for visitors to the heritage Parnell precinct and the Auckland War Memorial Museum." The location of the station has been criticised for its poor accessibility and perceived weaker outcomes. The early proposal would also integrate the new station with some of the historic railway workshop sheds of the adjacent Mainline Steam depot but nothing eventuated. The Mainline Steam Heritage Trust had its lease on the depot terminated by KiwiRail and completed its move from the site in June 2015. The sheds were demolished in September 2015. The heritage station building from the Newmarket station (a historic building designed by George Troup and built in 1908 that was removed during a 2008–10 upgrade) was relocated onto the Parnell station platform in 2016-17. As of early 2019, the station building is used to house artist studios and a gallery. In late 2015, Auckland Transport advised that opening the Parnell station to passenger services was being postponed until the completion of a road bridge at Cowie Street, replacing the nearby level crossing on Sarawia Street. AT received approval from independent planning commissioners in June 2016. The following November, the commissioners' recommendation for the bridge was appealed. If AT had been unable to address the concerns expressed in the appeal, an Environment Court hearing (most likely in early 2017) would have decided whether the appeal would be upheld. Trains began operating at the station on 12 March 2017, with an official opening by Mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff, and Waitematā Local Board chair Pippa Coom on 13 March 2017. In July–August 2018, the Cowie Street bridge to Laxon Terrace was completed and opened and the Sarawia Street level crossing was closed to road traffic. As a result, a new timetable introduced on 26 August 2018 allowed Parnell to become a stop on all Southern Line and Western Line services. Station layout The station is located next to the Auckland Domain, where the Auckland War Memorial Museum is situated 1.2 kilometres away. The two side platforms are linked by an underpass. Voice announcements onboard train services warn passengers with mobility needs to avoid using Parnell station due to its steep inclines. Future work will provide walking links to the Domain and the campuses of the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology. In mid-November 2018, a walkway was established connecting the Parnell Station to the University of Auckland's Carlaw Park Student Village and the Carlaw business centre, which is near the University of Auckland's City Campus on Symonds Street. In late 2022 Auckland Transport announced it had received consent to construct a second pedestrian underpass at the northern end of Parnell Station, to provide step-free access to all platforms and a more direct way to cross the tracks. Completion was expected in late 2023. The underpass opened to pedestrians on 23 January 2024. Services Auckland One Rail, on behalf of Auckland Transport, operates suburban services to Waitematā, Swanson, and Pukekohe via Newmarket. The basic inter-peak weekday timetable is: 6 trains per hour (tph) to Waitematā from Swanson and Pukekohe 3 tph to Swanson 3 tph to Pukekohe The Inner Link and the Outer Link bus routes pass close to Parnell station. Diesel depot On 20 August 1953 a plan was put to Cabinet for a £166,000 diesel depot, 160 ft (49 m) x 80 ft (24 m), with staff amenity building 50 ft (15 m) x 25 ft (7.6 m), 2 overhead cranes, wheel lathe, workshop and store 240 ft (73 m) x 25 ft (7.6 m). The depot was built in 1955 for £260,000 and it was recommend that a 60 ft (18 m) extension be built for 30 more diesels then on order. By 1957 there were 4 tracks through the depot and a loop outside. After Westfield diesel depot opened in 1965, Parnell only serviced diesel shunters and railcars. Parnell was still doing maintenance work in 1968 and was mentioned in 1977, but by July 1991 it was leased to Mainline Steam. See also List of Auckland railway stations References