Auckland Trains

While train travel is described as a reliable form of transport that provides comfort, opportunities to read, take a look at the view or even take a snooze, this is not the case within Auckland. The trains in this city (See Image 1) do not have the capacity to handle such a large population and trains often become overcrowded.

Image 1: An example of an Auckland train at Auckland City's Britomart train station
Source: NZ History 2011

This happens alot on Auckland trains, especially during peak hours when people are off to work, to school or university. Commuters will often have to bunch together and stand in the train and with the train tracks sometimes causing a bumpy ride, the lack of handles to hold onto, makes it dangerous for those that are standing. Also, although Auckland trains run on a timetable, they often come late. Just the other day, my train did not turn up at all. I, along with many other train travelers, was left at the Penrose station for over half an hour, frustrated, wondering where the train was. I checked the MAXX website and it said that the 9.08 train that we had been waiting for was running on time but it obviously was not. Thirty minutes later, when the next train arrived, it was so overcrowded with people that it was a struggle just to get into the train. While these trains are more reliable then buses and are therefore many people’s preferred form of transport, for a city that wishes to become globally recognized, the Council needs to invest in infrastructure.