Due to public holiday and scheduled line maintenance, Te Huia will not be operating Saturday 26 & Monday 28 October. Normal services will resume Tuesday 29 October 2024.
An inter-regional passenger rail service between Hamilton and Auckland had been an aspiration for Waikato councils and communities for many years.
In 2018 a business case for funding a five-year trial passenger rail service was accepted by the New Zealand Transport Agency, with a local share coming from the various councils.
$68.7m was capital - all invested prior to service launch in 2022 – to purchase refurbished trains / carriages and construct new stations at Rotokauri and Huntly.
$29.3m was the approved operational cost to run and maintain the trains / stations for five years of the trial.
Te Huia Takes Flight
After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Te Huia launched in April 2021 with two weekday return services between Hamilton, Rotokauri, Huntly and Papakura - and one return service on a Saturday.
Over the next three years, various improvements to Te Huia services have been made including:
Extension of the service to The Strand in central Auckland.
Additional station stop at Puhinui (with onward connections to Auckland Airport).
Additional daily return service on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from February 2024.
Additional station stop at Pukekohe from later in 2024.
Te Huia passenger numbers are steadily increasing, and passenger satisfaction is very high. See Te Huia Performance for more.
Frequently Asked Questions
The name 'Te Huia' is inspired from the treasured native bird to Aotearoa New Zealand, called 'huia' which is now extinct. Huia feathers were known to be very beautiful and were worn as a marker of high status. According todigitalnz.org, "A European craze for huia feathers led to increased hunting, and by the 1920s this beautiful bird was extinct."
The history of this native bird is featured in many museums throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. The image of the Huia bird can be viewed promonently along the external livery of the train and onboard the carriages.
$68.7m was capital (all spent prior to service launch in 2022)
$29.3m is the approved operational costs for operational cost for five years of the trail.
The total annual operational spend is as follows:
2021/22 = $5,311,020
2022/23 = $6,971,006
2023/24 = $7,086,888
Since Te Huia was first established, our focus has been on providing a reliable service for our passengers travelling on weekdays and Saturdays. Increasing the number of services and travel time options on weekdays and weekends remains a long term goal for Te Huia. For example, from 8 February 2024 new inter-peak services began every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
On Sundays, the essential major track works being carried out on the Auckland metropolitan rail network is conducted and requires line closures at times. This is expected to continue in the coming years. While these works already require our Saturday services to be cancelled from time to time, Sunday services would be more frequently impacted.
We will continue to work with our partners to identify and prioritise improvements which could be implemented once work on the City Rail Link in Auckland has been completed.
No. Scheduled track maintenance is usually carried out by Kiwirail on public holidays (both actual and observed) to ensure minimal disruption to regular services across the network. Please check the Disruptions page for more information about planned and unplanned closures.
