Te Waihorotiu railway station

Te Waihorotiu railway station, also known as Aotea railway station, is a future underground station on the Auckland railway network, located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is situated on the North Island Main Trunk and will be served by the East–West and South–City lines when it opens in 2026 as part of the City Rail Link (CRL) project.

Planning for Te Waihorotiu dates back to 2010, when early plans for the City Rail Link were first drawn up. Construction of the station did not officially begin until 2020, when piling works commenced. Numerous construction milestones were achieved throughout 2022 and 2023, including the connection of the station to the tunnels on both ends and to all three of its entrances. By 2025, construction of the station was largely complete and it remains on track to open in 2026.

In early plans, Te Waihorotiu station was referred to as Aotea station. This was the case until 2023 when the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) assigned Te Waihorotiu as the official name of the railway station. The name was gifted by the CRL Mana Whenua Forum and refers to the Waihorotiu Stream, which is now covered and flows beneath Queen Street.

Te Waihorotiu station is 15 metres (49 ft) underground and is located beneath Albert Street. The station has three entrances: two on Victoria Street West and one on Wellesley Street. The Wellesley Street entrance is the main station building, which contains a customer service centre. The Wellesley Street entrance also contains lifts, escalators, and stairs to the concourse level. In addition, the Wellesley Street building houses back-of-house systems such as electrical, communication, fire safety, heating, and ventilation.^[2] The Wellesley Street entrance also includes bathrooms and changing facilities.^[3] The western entrance on Victoria Street West contains escalators and a lift to the concourse level, while the eastern entrance provides direct access to the concourse level. On the concourse level, lifts and escalators provide access to the platforms.^[2] The station also has bike parking located outside the entrances.^[4]

Due to it being located in the heart of the city, Auckland Transport expects Te Waihorotiu to become New Zealand’s busiest train station. It will serve areas such as: Auckland’s art quarter (including Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall, and Civic Theatre); Auckland’s learning quarter (including AUT and University of Auckland); entertainment areas such as SkyCity; and shopping areas on Queen Street.^[5][6][7]

Throughout 2024 and 2025, plans were announced for a new 21-storey mixed-use building to be constructed above the Wellesley Street entrance. This mixed-use building will be called The Symphony Centre and is set for completion in 2028.^[8] This mixed-use site, developed by Malaysian property developer MRCB, will include residential, commercial, retail, and hospitality spaces.^[9] The development will also see the refurbishment of the heritage building, Bledisloe House and the formation of new laneways called The Lanes. The Symphony Centre will be New Zealand's first transit-oriented development and is part of a wider Midtown regeneration project.^[10][11]

Early plans for Te Waihorotiu station (formerly referred to as Aotea station) emerged in 2010 when KiwiRail and ARTA selected a preferred route with three stations: "Aotea" (beneath Albert Street), "K Road" (beneath Pitt Street and adjacent to Karangahape Road) and "Newton" (beneath upper Symonds Street), at an estimated cost range of $1 billion to $1.5 billion.^[12] The Newton station was later dropped, in favour of a redeveloped Mount Eden station.^[13]

As originally planned by Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, the CRL's underground rail lines would reach its 36,000 passengers per hour in 2045. In July 2018, City Rail Link Ltd (CRLL) published revised projections which showed that the 36,000 passenger capacity will be reached sooner in 2035 and that the new maximum capacity would be 54,000 passengers per hour. The current trains are capable of having extra cars added in groups of three. Te Waihorotiu, as originally planned, would not have been long enough to accommodate trains longer than six cars. Due to these new projections, it was decided that Te Waihorotiu station's platforms were to be made lengthened in case the need for nine-car trains arose in the future. The extra cost was estimated to run into the "low hundreds of millions" and would prevent a costly future two-year closure if the platform lengthening retrofitting work was carried out after the CRL was opened.^[14]

In September 2019, early works for Te Waihorotiu station began. These early works included relocating underground utility services to enable construction of the station.^[15] In June 2020, station piling began. Piling refers to inserting vertical concrete columns into the ground to form the support structure for the perimeter walls.^[16] In July 2020, main construction of the station finally began. The commencement of construction was marked by then-minister of transport, Phil Twyford, and then-mayor of Auckland, Phil Goff.^[17] Throughout 2021, excavation of the station began. This included the excavation of the station building site and Mayoral Drive, the station concourse level, and the already completed tunnel section at Wyndham Street.^[18] In December 2021, the breakthrough milestone was achieved, with the tunnels from Britomart now being exposed.^[19] Another breakthrough milestone was achieved in the same month with the tunnel boring machine Dame Whina Cooper (named after Māori rights activist Whina Cooper) breaking through the station construction site for the first time.^[20]

In July 2022, the station roof was completed, along with the concrete roof of the Wellesley Street building.^[21] In August 2022, the excavation of the concourse level was completed.^[22] In September 2022, the Dame Whina Cooper tunnel boring machine broke through the station construction site for the second time, meaning the station was now connected to the other end of the City Rail Link, heading towards Karanga-a-Hape.^[23] In November 2022, all three entrances were now connected to the station.^[24]

In March 2023, the tunnels at Te Waihorotiu were now completely connected to the tunnels originating from Waitematā (Britomart).^[25] Throughout 2023, numerous construction milestones were achieved. These included: the completion of the station box, connection of the three entrances, completion of the platform and concourse, installation of train tracks, installation and testing of lifts and escalators, and the energising of the station.^[26] In February 2024, the installation of train tracks on both sides of the station platform was fully completed.^[27] In early 2025, AT HOP ticketing gates were installed at the station entrances.^[28] In February 2025, the first CRL test train passed through the station. Also in February 2025, wayfinding signs and ticket machines were put in place throughout the station.^[29] Throughout 2025, the station was largely complete, with finishing touches such as lighting, wayfinding, and streetscaping works taking place.^[30] Upon official completion of construction, the station will be handed over to Auckland Transport, who will own the station.^[31][32]

In May 2022, the station was gifted the name "Te Wai Horotiu" by the CRL Mana Whenua Forum.^[33][34][35] The name refers to the now-covered Waihorotiu Stream which flows beneath Queen Street.^[34]

Together with Auckland Transport, City Rail Link Ltd submitted this suggested name to the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) for recognition.^[36] In August 2022, the Board returned the following verdict for the station: that the suggestion of "Te Wai Horotiu" be accepted and altered to "Te Waihorotiu" in keeping with national and Māori language orthographic standards. The names were then sent for public consultation.^[37]

In March 2023, the NZGB announced the decisions made by then-minister for land information, Damien O'Connor. As per the Board's recommendations, the name "Te Waihorotiu" became the official name for the railway station.^[38]

With the opening of Te Waihorotiu station, Wellesley Street is set to become a major transport hub as it will connect buses and trains.^[39][40] With Auckland Transport expecting thousands of people to use the station everyday, Wellesley Street is being upgraded in order to prioritise public transport and pedestrians. Beginning in October 2021, this project will see the addition of new bus shelters, street furniture, and street lights.^[40] It also includes widening footpaths to allow for ease of movement and increased foot traffic. These improvements are intended to allow for more reliable bus services and better pedestrian connectivity between Te Waihorotiu and surrounding areas. The Wellesley Street bus improvements project is set to be completed in early 2026.^[41]

The station incorporates Māori culture and mythology into the overall design. On the Wellesley Street entrance building, a glass façade represents the "sky element" of the building. The sky element pays tribute to Ranginui, the Sky Father. Inside the station building, above the ticketing area, hundreds of rods are connected to the ceiling. This represents the "threshold" element of the building and pays tribute to Horotiu, the guardian of the Waihorotiu Stream.^[42] The glazed canopy, located on the outside of the building, represents "te whaiao" or "the daylight or glimmer of dawn". This was inspired by the Māori god, Tāne pushing apart his parents. The concrete panels on the exterior of the station represents the "earth element" and pays tribute to Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother.^[2][43]

Inside the station, seven skylights represent the Matariki constellation.^[44] The entire station is in the shape of a waka and the four cross-beams inside the station represent the binding together of people to the land. At the platform level, motifs designed by mana whenua artist Graham Tipene represent the Waihorotiu stream and the movement of water.^[2]

The station is located on the North Island Main Trunk and has an island platform layout with two platforms.^[1][45] Platform 1 is the northbound platform heading towards Waitematā (Britomart) and Platform 2 is the southbound platform heading towards Karanga-a-Hape.^[28] The platforms have been built in a way to allow platform screen doors to be added at a later date.^[25]

Te Waihorotiu is located in the City fare zone.^[46]

Te Waihorotiu station will be served by South–City Line trains originating from and heading towards Pukekohe and East–West Line trains heading to Swanson and Manukau.^[47][48] These services, like the others operating on the Auckland rail network, will be operated by Auckland One Rail.^[49][32]

As of December 2025, Te Waihorotiu is served by the following bus routes:^[50][51][52]

• 11T to City Centre and Northwest
• 11W to City Centre and Northwest
• 18 to City Centre and New Lynn
• 105 to City Centre and Westmere
• 106 to City Centre
• 195 to City Centre and Green Bay
• 209 to City Centre and Titirangi
• WX1 to City Centre and Northwest

• List of Auckland railway stations
• Public transport in Auckland