Britomart, Auckland’s train station is situated on lower Queen St near the waterfront. It is the central point for the commuter trains that run to various parts of the city.
What Services are Available at Britomart
Britomart is home to several retail outlets as well as a small food court. An information centre helps passengers who need help planning their routes and a ticket office sells bus and train tickets. An all day pass for trains only or buses and trains is available and offers a big saving to tourists who want to explore the city and surrounds. Buses leave from outside of Britomart, and ferries depart from the nearby wharf and service Devonport and various islands in the region.
Britomart Hours of Operation
Hours vary with trains running later on Friday and Saturday nights. Timetables are available on the MAXX website to help people plan their journey. Most services start after 5am and end after 9pm.
Interesting Facts about Britomart
The Britomart website lists the some fascinating facts about the station and its capacity:
· Britomart is the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken by a local authority in New Zealand.
· Britomart is one of the only underground diesel train stations in the world.
· The Station Platform area – 300 metres long x 45 metres wide x 12 metres deep – is below sea level. At the eastern end of the station on the first basement level, there are coloured tiles on the walls that show where sea level is.
· There are five underground platforms and five kilometres of railway track linking into the existing North Island Main Trunk and the Newmarket Branch lines.
· The station has a10,500 passengers per hour capacity.
· Two extra rail passageways provided for future light rail ramps behind the coloured walls.
History of Britomart Station in Auckland
In the 1880’s work was undertaken to reclaim land and extend Queen St. The site Britomart stands on was originally part of the harbour. The Britomart building was erected in 1912 and was originally used as the Chief Post Office in Auckland. It was built of Coromandel granite and Oamaru stone.
The building was used as Post Bank offices until 1988 and then stood vacant for a number of years. It sustained serious damage when street kids moved in and accidentally set it ablaze one winter.
To convert the building to a station, a 500 metre tunnel was constructed in 1999 to connect existing railway lines to the new station. The platforms and tracks are all underground. Several surrounding buildings were demolished and new structures replaced these. The old CPO building was refurbished and strengthened and adapted to meet the anticipated needs of commuters. Features such as the domes with their beautiful stained glass were retained.
Britomart station was officially opened in June 2003. The ceremony included a lone piper to welcome the first train into the CBD in the last 73 years and a rousing haka to greet the first passengers.
