Karanga-a-Hape railway station
{{short description|Railway station in New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Karanga-a-Hape
| type = Auckland Transport Urban rail
| image = Karanga a Hape railway station 20250118 124313.jpg
| caption = Beresford Square entrance of Karanga a Hape railway station, under construction in early 2025
| address = Karangahape Road, Auckland
| country = New Zealand
| coordinates = {{coord|-36.8589513|174.7592431|display=inline,title}}
| owned = Auckland Transport
| operator = Auckland One Rail
| line = City Rail Link
| platforms = Island platform (P1 & P2)
| tracks = 2
| structure = Underground
| parking = No (planned)
| bicycle = Yes (planned)
| accessible = Yes (Lifts)
| zone = City
| website = [https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/karanga-a-hape-station City Rail Link]
| electrified = 25 kV AC
| years = 2019
| events = Mercury Lane demolished
| years1 = 2021
| events1 = First tunnel completed
| years2 = 2022
| events2 = Second tunnel completed
| years3 = 2026
| events3 = Planned opening
| opening = 2026 (planned)
| route_map = {{City Rail Link}}
| mapframe = Yes
| mapframe-wikidata = Yes
}}
Karanga-a-Hape railway station is an underground railway station under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. It is scheduled to open in 2026 as part of the City Rail Link project.{{Cite web |date=23 May 2023 |first=Bernard |last=Orsman |title=City Rail Link won't open until 2026 at the earliest |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/city-rail-link-will-not-open-until-2026-at-the-earliest-18-months-later-than-an-earlier-forecast/RQHDEGMIIVFE5LXZA3P2ZKSIZY/ |access-date=5 June 2024 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}} It will serve the Karangahape Road area with entrances on Beresford Square and Mercury Lane.[https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/stations-karangahape-rd Karangahape] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223024735/https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/stations-karangahape-rd |date=23 December 2019 }} City Rail Link[https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/karangahape-station-works Rail is coming uptown to Karangahape Road] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207020329/https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/karangahape-station-works |date=7 February 2020 }} City Rail Link{{cite news |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/503881/city-rail-link-deadline-not-guaranteed-project-boss |title=City Rail Link deadline not guaranteed - project boss |website=Radio New Zealand |date=4 December 2023 |access-date=4 December 2023 |archive-date=4 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204001933/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/503881/city-rail-link-deadline-not-guaranteed-project-boss |url-status=live }} When it opens, Karanga-a-hape will be the deepest train station in New Zealand,{{Cite web |date=2020-09-30 |title=Mining starts on country's deepest railway station |url=https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/newsletter-september-2020/mining-starts-on-countrys-deepest-railway-station |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=City Rail Link |language=en-US |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180210/https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/newsletter-september-2020/mining-starts-on-countrys-deepest-railway-station |url-status=live }} reaching 33 metres down{{Cite web |last=Lowrie |first=Matt |date=2022-10-26 |title=A visit to Karanga-a-hape |url=https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2022/10/27/a-visit-to-karanga-a-hape/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Greater Auckland |language=en-NZ |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180352/https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2022/10/27/a-visit-to-karanga-a-hape |url-status=live }} and featuring 203 metre long platforms.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/stations-karanga-a-hape |title=Karanga-a-hape Station|access-date=2025-03-20 |website=City Rail Link |language=en-US }} Auckland Council estimates up to 1,400 people an hour will use the station at peak times.
History
Proposals for a link between downtown Auckland and central suburb train routes have been around since the 1920s, but the first proposal involving a station on Karangahape Road came in 2003.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-08 |title=Underground rail link feasible, says study |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/underground-rail-link-feasible-says-study/AGY5WW7D4BOV64AAWP7R4ZBIPQ/ |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ |archive-date=8 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208003211/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/underground-rail-link-feasible-says-study/AGY5WW7D4BOV64AAWP7R4ZBIPQ/ |url-status=live }} Auckland Council proposed an underground line running between Britomart and Maungawhau-Mount Eden station, including two new stations at Aotea Square and Karangahape Road.
Demolition work for the Mercury Lane site began on 4 November 2019, taking out the prominent Mercury Plaza foodcourt and some surrounding buildings. Tunneling from Mount Eden station to Karanga-a-hape station began on 26 April 2022, with the Dame Whina Cooper Herrenknecht TBM breaking through on 15 July 2022.{{Cite web |last=Journal |first=Tunnelling |date=2022-07-15 |title=CRL's second Tunnel breakthrough at Karanga a Hape Station |url=https://tunnellingjournal.com/crls-second-tunnel-breakthrough-karanga-hape-station/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=The Tunnelling Journal |language=en-GB |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180244/https://tunnellingjournal.com/crls-second-tunnel-breakthrough-karanga-hape-station/ |url-status=live }}
In March 2023, the station was officially renamed from Karangahape station to Karanga-a-Hape station, after the four City Rail Link stations were gifted te reo Maori names by the project's Mana Whenua Forum.{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Sophie |date=2023-03-16 |title=Britomart officially renamed along with three other Tāmaki Makaurau railway stations |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300832352/britomart-officially-renamed-along-with-three-other-tmaki-makaurau-railway-stations |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Stuff |language=en |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180347/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300832352/britomart-officially-renamed-along-with-three-other-tmaki-makaurau-railway-stations |url-status=live }}
In November 2023, Auckland Transport announced it would be pedestrianising the upper portion of Mercury Lane in order to improve accessibility.{{Cite web |last=Transport |first=Auckland |title=Karanga-a-Hape Station neighbourhood and bus improvements project |url=https://at.govt.nzhttps//at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/karanga-a-hape-station-neighbourhood-and-bus-improvements-project |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Auckland Transport |language=en-nz }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Karangahape}}
Category:Proposed railway stations in New Zealand
Category:Rail transport in Auckland
Category:Railway stations located underground
Category:Railway stations scheduled to open in 2026
{{Public transport in Auckland}}
{{Auckland-struct-stub}}
{{NewZealand-railstation-stub}}