Waitematā railway station
Waitematā | |||||||||||||||||||
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The historic former Chief Post Office building is the main entrance of the railway station. | |||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Britomart | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Auckland CBD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°50′40″S 174°46′09″E / 36.8445°S 174.7691°E | ||||||||||||||||||
| System | Auckland Transport Urban rail | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Auckland Transport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operated by | Auckland One Rail | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lines | Eastern Line Southern Line Western Line | ||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | Through platforms (P1 & P4) Bay platforms (P2 & P3) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks |
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| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Underground | ||||||||||||||||||
| Depth | 11 m (36 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Platform levels | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | No | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes (Lifts) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | BMT / AKD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | City | ||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 7 July 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Electrified | 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Britomart Transport Centre | ||||||||||||||||||
| Key dates | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Construction commenced | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Opened | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | City Rail Link works begin | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Surface building renovation completed | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | CRL operational | ||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||
| CY 2018 | 10,224,759 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Designated | 11 July 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reference no. | 101 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Waitematā railway station, formerly known as Britomart Station and before that as Britomart Transport Centre, is the only train station in the central business district of Auckland and the northern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk railway line. It combines a railway station in a former Edwardian post office, extended with expansive modernist architectural elements. Serving as a public transport interchange, it is located at the foot of Queen Street, the main commercial thoroughfare of the CBD, with the main ferry terminal just across Quay Street, and several bus stops located near the station.
The station was the result of many design iterations, some of them being substantially larger and including an underground bus terminal and a large underground car park. Political concerns and cost implications meant that those concepts did not proceed. At the time of its inception in the early 2000s the station was still Auckland's largest transport project ever, built to move rail access closer to the city's CBD and help boost Auckland's low usage of public transport. It is one of the few underground railway stations in the world designed for use by diesel trains, although their use is now prohibited. Diesel trains from Hamilton and Wellington terminate at The Strand station.
Twin underground tunnels for the new East-West and South-City lines have been constructed from the station as part of the City Rail Link project, which will open in 2026.
In March 2023, the station's unofficial name of Britomart Station was officially altered to Waitematā Railway Station by the New Zealand Geographic Board. Since 21 September 2025, Auckland Transport has referred to the station as Waitematā, after having used the dual name Waitematā (Britomart) between 2023 and 2025.