Some really interesting news today about the big Lion Breweries site in Newmarket – which looks like will be purchased by Auckland University:
The University of Auckland is shutting its Epsom and Tamaki campus hubs and buying a big Newmarket site where it will educate and house some of its growing student population base.
New Zealand’s biggest tertiary organisation had confirmed that it wanted to buy the ex-Lion Breweries site in Newmarket and consolidate many operations there, while retaining its Auckland CBD and Grafton campus sites.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon issued the statement at 3pm, saying the university had entered into a conditional agreement to purchase the 5.2ha former Lion Breweries site in Newmarket, in what is potentially its most significant property acquisition in a generation.
This is probably the biggest ‘brownfield’ site in Auckland, and a university campus is just perfect for it. Here’s the place we’re talking about: 
From a public transport perspective, this site is absolutely ideal – especially as university students are absolutely massive users of PT. Grafton Station is almost in the site at its western end, Newmarket station isn’t too far from its eastern end and what is probably close to Auckland’s busiest bus corridor along Khyber Pass Road runs along the southern side of the site. The opportunities to integrate the redevelopment with Grafton Station are particularly exciting.
What this proposal clearly does is highlight the growing importance of Grafton Station to the network. It’s already being used by an increasing number of hospital staff/visitors and the current Auckland University medical school. They’re just on the top left of the aerial photograph above. A major redevelopment of this site, with thousands of students travelling there every day, could bump Grafton Station up to being one of the busiest on the whole PT network. Especially as there isn’t exactly a surfeit of free parking available around Newmarket (unlike the current Epsom and Tamaki campuses).
The next corollary of Grafton Station having a significantly greater role in the PT network is that an eastern link between Grafton Station and Newton Station simply must be built as part of the City Rail Link project. That’s the tracks shown in red below, which form part of the junction where the CRL meets the existing Western Line at Eden Terrace:
These tracks would allow a service to travel from south of Newmarket, swing west to Grafton then north to Newton, K Road, Aotea station and so forth. Grafton ends up on the “main line”. Without the eastern link Grafton effectively becomes an “orphaned station” from the whole rail network, with the only trains serving it being the odd direct west to Newmarket train, or perhaps even a pointless little shuttle train between the “Inner West Interchange” (IWI for short?) and Newmarket. Not exactly fitting a station with a new, rather massive, tertiary institute right on its doorstep.
The current preferred route for the CRL includes, somewhat strangely, provision of both the eastern link and the Inner West Interchange. Yet the interchange is only really needed if you don’t have the eastern link, as you’ve got a whole heap of trains you need to turn around and send back (empty?) through the CRL tunnel. With the eastern link they just whip around to Grafton, Newmarket and then head further south. I do think that today’s announcement, which cements Grafton Station as having a critical future role in Auckland’s rail system, should tip the scales in favour of the eastern link.
After all, how stupid would it be to dramatically reduce the number of trains serving a station that’s about to have a massive new tertiary institute built on its doorstep?
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Maybe Khyber will develop in to something that isn’t an awful eyesore too.
Surely it would, shops and cafes servicing students, and probably some good pedestrian treatment. This will be amazing for Newmarket too, nothing like a university campus to create street life and retail foot traffic day and night.
I really hope this means RIP to the IWI, it is a sign from the planning gods that we simply need the eastern link.
It is definitely going to be a busy station in the future. To me it is a perfect example of how important station location is as by just moving it a few hundred metres down the track it became massively more useful and you see that in the mornings with the number of people getting off trains there (both students and business people). In terms of how we operate trains with the CRL, my preference is not to run trains directly from the west but to have a transfer at the Newton station (which means that it is also needed). See here for more info http://greaterakl.wpengine.com/2012/06/06/what-to-do-about-grafton-post-crl/
This would make a northern exit out of Newmarket station even more needed (might help push this building forward http://greaterakl.wpengine.com/2012/04/17/a-northern-exit-for-newmarket-station/)
I also want to know what is happening with that little left over piece of land on the corner of Khyber Pass and Park Rd. Do the council own it after the duplication works there? It would be perfect for some apartments built over the rail line
I don’t think bringing anything from the west to Grafton is a good idea with the CRL, but definitely one of the southern lines on the way to and from Aotea and somewhere else.
Yes, the council does own the leftover land from the station development. Guess that just got more valuable!
Interesting implications for Epsom and Tamaki Campus. Tamaki is a huge pile of land in the Tamaki growth zone next to the station. You could house thousands in affordable housing units on the site. Stonefields north anyone? (only good this time).
Yes I agree – Grafton becomes a stop on the South eastern line: Manukau-Glen Innes-City-Grafton-Manukau (or Onehunga).
Epsom is an interesting one.
Since when was the Tamaki Campus adjacent any railway stations? Not the last time I went past the other day.
Don’t forget AMETIs 4 lanes of traffic will run right past the eastern boundary of the Tamaki Campus onto Merton Road right by the train lines, introducing even more severance and loads more traffic into an area that has suffered long enough with it.
And of course, Any Train Station – GI or, “the yet to be rebuilt and opened Tamaki Station” has to have the potential PT users crossing 1 busy 2 lane road (Merton), plus the railway track (via an pporly designed underpass) to get on to the train platforms as they’re both island platforms so you have to cross the tracks to get there.
Adding another layer of severance via AMETI will really encourage people who want to live and work there right to use the train services. I think not.
No direct links from Tamaki Campus to the train station and the distance is far longer than you think just by looking at Google Maps.
ACC had a concept of building a raised walkway from the Tamaki Campus to the GI station, but it was going to be long and expensive to do and got dropped ages ago.
And what happens once the AMETI link is extended north of Merton – yep, even more severance of the Tamaki Campus land from the PT it so badly needs to access.
And what about the sports fields opposite the Tamaki Campus – they’re sports fields now, but they’re actually zoned for building on – so that wide open space that the AC counts as “reserve” land will probably be hocked off to developers by Auckland Uni to pay for the land in Newmarket. Even more of the (precious few) Eastern suburbs parks and reserves “lungs” likely to be lost to crappy developments and all likely to be built before the council can get the Unitary Plan in force well enough to control the results.
It’s about 550m from the campus buildings to the GI platform. Walk through the carpark, across Merton Rd, hand a right then use the station access path before the overbridge. Used to do that daily. By way of comparison, that is the same walk distance from the Britomart platforms to Vulcan Lane. Really no big deal.
The AMETI road doesn’t change that, as it only goes as far as Merton Rd. By the way the section to Merton Rd is only one lane each way, the four lane section is further south. If anything it will actually help reduce severance by adding in a new signalised crossing of Merton Rd near the southern station access.
I think the Colin Maiden playing fields should be developed, there is a huge amount of land there and that part of Auckland is covered in parks and reserves.
“I think the Colin Maiden playing fields should be developed, there is a huge amount of land there and that part of Auckland is covered in parks and reserves.”
Is it?
The Orakei Board and Auckland Council officers don’t think so. They all agree there is a real lack of green space land in the Orakei Board area. And I agree with them.
If you remove the Coin Maiden Park from the so called reserves you have what? The Netball courts (all paved), the Tennis courts (paved and mostly built on), the Ngahue Reserve land on the Western side of Tennis park – hmm, currently ear marked for a the Oceania Federation Sports facility (yep, more paved surfaces and a large clubhouse ala Netball courts) supposedly because of its life as a former quarry/landfill.
Parks in Stonefields, Wrong again, not enough of those, too severated, and the Stonefields developer relied on the “free” parks via the Naghue Reserve/Netball courts/Colin Maiden to reduce the size of the parks inside Stonefields.
The only “passive” greenfields recreation reserves are actually that land besides Donnelly St (nee College Road “south”) and thats not exactly large or well postioned.
Can’t count the Golf course as you or I can’t simply wander across it or picnic in it if we chose as its leased to the Gold Club.
Waiatarua Wetlands – maybe, but the councils use of it is as storm water overflow ponds kind of makes it a bit like Van Damms Lagoon off Mt Wellington Highway as Claytons park..
“By way of comparison, that is the same walk distance from the Britomart platforms to Vulcan Lane. Really no big deal.”
Sure, except in the CBD walk from Vulcan lane you have the benefit of shopfront verandas above you most of the way keeping you sheltered from some of the worst of the weather and if the rain really comes down you can stop under one of those verandas and wait for a bit. Can’t do that if there is no shelter right?
That 550m walk from the TC to the GI train station would one of the most exposed, and longest walks you could do when its really raining and blowing a gale.
And you’d only do that once or twice and forget about PT and get the car from then on I think.
400m is the target for PT planners for a walkable distance to the nearest PT stop/station, 800m at the outside. 550m it too far for the inner circle, and just do-able for second distance.
But you are assuming you can walk the carpark, and what if once the carpark is developed you can’t do that anymore and have to walk the footpaths, the distance will be way longer than 800m then, so your 550m is only as you can shortcut the route via a carpark.
Tamaki Station is no closer either so unless AT want to put a station right on the other side of Hannigan drive I doubt that part of town will be a raging PT success story.
There is already a pedestrian island in the middle of Merton, which is in the more direct route to the train station, but even that is at best a half arse measure by the ACC to make it seem to be pedestrian friendlier than it is. Adding a set of lights where AMETI joins Merton won’t make it any more pedestrian friendly no matter how you gussy it up Nick.
Nick – I’m not quite sure what you mean by Colin Maiden Park being developed. It is currently owned by the University and is home to the Uni Rugby and Cricket clubs. In addition there are two soccer fields and at this time of year an Aussie Rules team plays on one of the cricket ovals. The cricket club is the second largest junior club in Auckland.
In short, the playing fields are very well utilized all year round, and as any cricket or soccer player will tell you, there is a shortage of grounds in Auckland generally, and the eastern suburbs in particular.
Well we’ll just have to disagree there then, because I think adding a signalised crossing is more pedestrian friendly than having no crossing.
This will be the catalyst for a lot of good things. Well done to the university for making such a bold move; the Tamaki Campus was not working and so they bit the bullet and re-unified the campus in a central location.
I suspect this will be the catalyst for a lot of good things to happen. Yes the eastern link to the CRL is one, but also finishing off more of the Central Connector. It’s odd that Auckland’s major bus corridor craps out at either end: There are no bus lanes on Customs or on Khyber.
And thinking more broadly, what about including the Tamaki Campus in the Tamaki Transformation area? Massive greenfields redevelopment opportunity in close proximity to GI train station …
Yes I was thinking about the Tamaki aspect too, perfect timing for it to be included as part of the planning that is going on there.
Would pay for the University of Auckland to make formal contact with Auckland Council / Auckland Transport to request that the eastern link be built as part of the CRL. One should not assume that the council and its CCO recognise the need for the eastern link now that the University is buying the Lion Nathan site.
Well this really the end of an era. End of the postwar fashion for diffusion that is. There was an attempt to move the entire U of A campus from the city to that terribly disconnected Tamaki site. Thank god it was resisted. Of course a similar move did happen in Christchurch with the U of C moving to Ilam. And what a disaster that was for the city.
Grafton already is a busy station serving both the hospitals and the two boys school nearby. And I still think a direct Henderson-Manukau City service would only grow its usefulness and more importantly enable frequency to be added to the existing network before the CRL is built. Thereafter is another matter as the whole network will be built on a transfer model, but there still may be value in an RTN service that is not CBD centric. I guess that may depend on how much demand occurs on the earlier pattern.
I note that the uni are saying they’ll move the Engineering faculty to the new site, I wonder what they’ll do with the current School of E? Purpose built in the 1960s for that faculty and designed by my father who fought very hard to keep the campus in the city.
Great news. Definitely makes the case for the Eastern link. It would just allow a lot more flexibility to toggle various patterns.
I think direct trains from the West would be needed though. Not all of them – but a portion. Applies to Newmarket too I think.
Will the junctions not be grade separated? Can’t tell from the diagram. Bloody hope so!
Thats part of the issue CM, it looks like grade separating that link could be very difficult and expensive, to the point of being unfeasible. I believe they are looking at options for separated vs. flat vs. no junction.
As for sending some west trains one way and some a different way, well I wouldn’t. Consistent regular frequency is critical in my opinion, not just for passenger usability but also for running junctions efficiently.
Wonder if the School of E building will be used for the other of E – Education? Concern is more that the university seems to be going for a quantity rather than quality approach, as very few good universities have more than 40,000 students enrolled. It will be much bigger than the University of Melbourne for example. Anyway, from a transport point of view could be good – no more Tamaki Campus buses! Perhaps might even turn Alfred St and part of Symonds St into a pedestrian plaza or develop a tram between the three (City, Grafton, Newmarket) campuses for example.
The current School of Eng has a whole bunch of specially designed workshop levels; with ingenious, for the time, clear spans to provide uncluttered tough and adaptable spaces for experimentation…. I guess these can be repurposed no prob.
This really is exciting news. Now let’s cap the Grafton Gully motorway [I have some students with plans and models coming] and we could even bring some sports fields back from Tamaki too, or build other amenity down there.
A big education sector is great for a city. One of the telling examples of this is the compare the sorry fate of Detroit with the comfortable leafy success of Ann Arbour- As the auto industry declined in the former they could only look longingly at the business and vitality that University of Michigan gives to the later. Which used to be in Detroit. Because remember Universities don’t go up and down with business cycles.
Auckland is a good bet for the future, now let’s sort out those transport and urban design issues……
Perhaps this might help to change the ugly car-choked Kyber Pass. More bus priority measures, more pedestrian friendly, deter cars from using it.
I would have thought that we are quite likely to need an upgrade of Short St as the primary pedestrian route to Newmarket
I also imagine that the value of the low rise buildings to the south of Khyber Pass between Maungawhau Rd and Crowhurst St would have just risen and would be perfect places for intensification
I think the land more than the buildings. One thing I hope this will drive is the demolition of this fugly faceless monstrosity.
Looks like one of the solar canopies on the BP Connect in that view.
Andrew, I second your motion of a wrecking ball. Fugly is the word indeed.Reminds me of the fugliness of Hutt Road in Kaiwharawhara in Welly.
Ironically enough that’s my local vege shop. Yes the building is fugly, but the vege prices are generally spectacular (just not the Gold Kiwifruit – that’s cheaper at Pak n Save).
Yuss!
Thirded. We can start to run transportblog demolition bees 😉
Oh I got me a long list. How about a lottery where every year someone wins the right to demolish something…. compensate the owners etc…..?
Good news indeed from Auckland Uni.
Although if this major critical development does not stop our engineers and planners (oh dear – trained at Auckland Uni this lot? – irony abound – wait I was “trained” at Auckland Uni in Planning, Politics and Geography – yep irony abound) from saying No CRL East Link, then I shall be damned on what WOULD get the East Link actually built. In short, if not the Uni – then what?
BTW which of you guys using the @AKTransportBlog account last night was talking to me about the Alternative CRL Running Proposal Idea I had (no linking Peter – so dont stress mate) please? Just curious as I took the points on board but I need a good forum to thrash and debate the proposal out as I am in time submitting it to Council and AT.
Otherwise interesting times ahead.
One idea that just occurred to me would be to have a single eastern link from the eastern CRL line, a sinlge link would mean that no tracks would have to cross over each other. This would mean that trans could go Newmarket->Britomart->CRL->Newton->Newmarket but not Newmarket->Newton->CRL->Britomart->Newmarket.
Is this realistic? Could there be crossover links that would enable a single eastern line to be shared even?
Just build it properly for once, eh.
“Now let’s cap the Grafton Gully motorway [I have some students with plans and models coming] ”
You doing a post on this shortly, Patrick? Sounds fascinating. Green spaces on top?
Best addition to tamaki will be a new tertiary provider that actually engages with the human capital in the area. Govt should encourage aus, nz, and asian unis to bid for the tamaki land. Akl uni have been here since the 50s and until recently have made little effort to develop the land or its people. Good riddance.
The future of akl is its young people, most of whom live in tamaki and manukau.
An important move by the university here would be for them to not spend any cash nor waste land on any car parking infrastructure on this site. It is perfectly placed to take advantage of the huge quantity of transit through this area. It would also be an incentive, as noted above, for the City to sort Khyber Pass out better for buses and bikes, and of course to improve rail service at Grafton.
Although I fear various models used by authorities and consultants undervalue the journeys of students and staff compared to those mythical ‘wealth creators’. Newsflash!, as Stu would say, tertiary education is a huge business in Auckland; we are becoming a real education centre and the more we can provide great transit options for those tens of thousands of staff and students the much better the existing road network will function without further multi billion dollar additions.
We can’t afford not to invest in biking infrastructure, bus lanes, and a proper joined up rail system; it will save the country billions.