While Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel officially opened yesterday, our own rail tunnel just got a little further away.

For some time now, it has been said that the City Rail Link (CRL) will open sometime in 2026, and there was a lot of hope that it could be early in 2026 given we’re already seeing Auckland Transport running timetable testing and that the construction part of the project was due for completion now.

Construction of the stations and supporting rail infrastructure is now expected to be completed by our construction partners, the Link Alliance, by December 2025.

That hope was dashed on Friday, with an announcement the opening now won’t be till the second half of the year.

The upgraded Auckland public transport network with City Rail Link (CRL) at its heart will open to passengers in the second half of 2026.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson confirmed the project is on track to open in 2026, but that significant important work still needs to happen to ensure a safe, reliable service at opening.

“The finish line for the City Rail Link is getting closer,” Minister Bishop says.

“CRL is a massive multi-billion-dollar investment for the Government and Auckland Council. New Zealand can look forward to the benefits this project will deliver next year.

“World-class new stations have taken shape, while streets and public spaces affected by construction are now reopening to Aucklanders. Work is moving from construction to systems testing and commissioning.

“Aucklanders continue to show patience and understanding as this massive construction project begins to see light at the end of the tunnel, and we want to thank them for that. It won’t be too much longer.

“Opening an underground rail line is complex. There is a thorough programme of tests to make sure the CRL is safe, and that the new train timetable is reliable from day one.”

“This announcement gives Aucklanders confidence that the City Rail Link is firmly on track to open in 2026. This is the largest transport infrastructure project in New Zealand’s history,” Minister Brown says.

“CRL is going to bring thousands more people into the city every day – supporting businesses, growing the economy, and ensuring Auckland is a world-class city.”

“The good news is Aucklanders and visitors will finally be able to use the CRL in the second half of 2026. We know this is by far the most complex project undertaken in New Zealand and it takes time to get things right,” says Mayor Brown.

“As an engineer, I appreciate there are more than 16,000 tests across every part of the project to prepare for handover and gain the safety approvals needed to open to the public.

“Every part of the station buildings and each piece of technology in them need to work as planned. This is crucial to deliver a good experience for passengers and for safety in the event of emergencies.

“What’s positive is the streets are more open with less cones, Albert St is reopening over the weekend and works around the stations will be completed early next year, bringing people back into the city.”

“The City Rail Link completion is in sight and our city centre is being rejuvenated into a greener, more vibrant and better-connected place. With other projects being finished, and new businesses and residents moving into town, the city is getting its sparkle back” says Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson.

Being ready to open involves a significant, integrated programme of work across City Rail Link Ltd, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail. City Rail Link Ltd, created to oversee building of the CRL tunnels and new and upgraded stations, expects to complete construction and testing by the end of June 2026. This will enable Auckland Transport and KiwiRail to complete preparations to open in the second half of the year.

The organisations involved are working closely together up to handover. After City Rail Link Ltd completes its work, Auckland Transport, KiwiRail and operators will need some time for the final steps to be ready for passengers, including final notifications to crews and staff whose rosters will change.

It is very politician-speak to talk about how the opening is getting closer while effectively announcing a delay. As noted above, completion was previously due around now – but has now been pushed out to the end of June 2026.

Is the testing just taking longer than expected, or has it been a matter of finding issues that need longer to resolve?

Auckland Transport’s Rapid Transit map for once the CRL opens

Assuming the end of June 2026 completion date holds, as noted in the last line of the media release there will then be a period of time needed to update staff rosters, etc. My understanding is this is about a six-week process – meaning it’ll likely be sometime in August or even September before the trains are running for passengers.

Notably, this would push completion closer to the election, and the opening is bound to be a massive sugar hit of good news for the government – though the opposite would happen if any further delays occur. But I also wonder what it might to do election policies.

The closer the CRL gets to opening, I feel the more the question becomes “what next?” – and polling has previously shown strong support for more investment in public transport. So, hopefully political parties connect the dots and we don’t just get a transport policy of more roads.

Between now and opening there is still a heap of work to do on the rail network, including the huge four-week full network closure after Christmas, and likely more closures after that – for example, AT want to expand their testing to cover the entire network.

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