New transport hub moves into the fast lane

An artist's rendering of the completed interchange. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Transport

Catching a train? You'll find one at your local waka, with mountains in the background.

This is the new face of public transport, as revealed at the Ōtāhuhu interchange, which opens later this month. The state-of-the-art station accommodates all forms of public transport, featuring a busway, train station and shared pedestrian and cycleway.

The Walmsley Rd site incorporates the existing train station, linking the rail platform with new bus hubs and a terminal with elevated concourse. It's the first in a series of public transport hubs to be developed around Auckland, and is a key part of creating a simpler and more connected South Auckland transport network, said James Ireland, media advisor for Auckland Transport (AT).


Aerial impression showing bus and trains stations and 'waka' concourse. Photo: Supplied /Auckland Transport

The network is a “big change”, and it will make public transport “so much easier” for people travelling from South Auckland, he added. New timetables, new bus routes, and service transfers will become part of your daily commute, under an AT initiative called the ‘New Network’, which will improve flow between Mangere, Ōtāhuhu and Sylvia Park as part of the East West Connections project.

When the complex opens, locals can reclaim a piece of their past.

“The station was initially just used for industrial traffic, so we want to bring it back to the community,” said infrastructure and facilities development manager for AT, Joshua Hyland.

The station also recognises the area through art and architecture. Design for the interchange began three years ago, and has been a collaboration between Auckland Council, a Māori council of cultural landscape strategists, ‘Te Aranga’, and six local iwi.

When Te Waha Nui visited on a recent rainy day, work was still underway. But when the covers come off, the completed masterpiece will be a feast for the eyes. Local artists Tessa Harris and Graham Tipene focused on maunga (mountains), waka, portage and navigation for the artworks throughout


Triangular motifs printed on the concourse's windows, representing iwi and maunga. Photo: Sam Hewat

The station has been designed in the shape of a waka to reflect the site’s significance to mana whenua. A series of carvings by Ms Harris are to be etched into rocks originally found on site, representing 12 different maunga in the area. A backlit tukutuku panel will also feature in the entranceway, signifying the link between the site and its navigational history. The station's design looks both at the past, and toward the future for Auckland commuters.

It is really good news for the Ōtāhuhu area", said Mr Hyland. The interchange officially opens to the public on October 29, and the southern roll-out of the ‘New Network’ goes live the next day.

Ōtāhuhu Interchange:

• Consultation began in 2013
• Construction began November 2015
• Forecast cost: $28 million
• 130,000 people use buses in Auckland every day
• More than 5 million train trips were taken on the Southern Lines between August 2015 and 2016.