A level-up for rail safety
Next month on 12 August, the level crossing between Porters Avenue and Wynyard Road will be permanently removed. This is the last of the level crossings to be removed from the Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) construction area and the crossing itself will be replaced with a pedestrian bridge.
The closure will enable construction of rail trenches for four new rail tracks - the two City Rail Link (CRL) lines and the two tracks that the current Western Line uses.
The removal of the crossing is a ‘level-up’ for rail safety as it eliminates pedestrians from the path of an on-coming train and access to live rail corridors.
Removing the level crossings in the area and improving community safety was a priority when undertaking planning of the CRL project in collaboration with Auckland Transport (AT) and KiwiRail. Alternative design options to get across the rail corridor, such as tunnels and bridges, are considered a better option to cross the tracks safely.
Alternative options were put out for community consultation by AT in late 2017. The replacement Porters Avenue Bridge to accommodate pedestrians over the new rail lines was confirmed as the safest, most practicable option.