New Auckland Train Stations Open Amid Half-Billion-Dollar Price Tag

Two new train stations in southern Auckland have opened to passengers for the first time since 1972, serving growing housing developments between Papakura and Pukekohe. Drury and Paerātā stations cost around $300 million to build, part of a wider three-station programme forecast at almost half a billion dollars.

The project aims to support population growth in the region, with 130,000 more people expected to move into southern Auckland over coming decades. Trains will be central to this growth, according to KiwiRail.

Rail Minister Winston Peters said funding for the project was set aside when he was part of the previous Labour-led coalition government and is being delivered on time and under budget.

Auckland University urban planning senior lecturer Tim Welch welcomed the new stations but emphasized that rail alone is not enough, and other infrastructure such as water, schools, and healthcare are also needed to create thriving communities.