Northwest Rapid Transit Busway construction start date revealed

Construction on the Northwest Rapid Transit Busway could begin in as little as 18 months, aiming to provide more travel choices and reduce congestion in West Auckland.

The Northwest Rapid Transit project is investigating options to provide fast, frequent and reliable public transport for people travelling around the northwest of Auckland – from Brigham Creek to the city centre, alongside State Highway 16.

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“The northwest of Auckland is home to 90,000 people and is one of the city’s largest planned growth areas. By 2051, an additional 100,000 people are expected to be living in the area, with 40,000 new homes, and 40,000 new jobs based there,” transport minister Chris Bishop says.

“Currently, people in the northwest don’t have reliable public transport options, and 60 percent of residents commute out of the area. Most people travel to work by car, more than any other area in Auckland, and the Northwestern Motorway regularly suffers from congestion and delays.”

The Northwest Busway includes a park and ride station at Brigham Creek and stations at Westgate, Royal Rd, Lincoln Rd, Te Atatū, Point Chevalier and Western Springs. It will be able to move up to 9000 passengers per hour in each direction – the equivalent of four motorway lanes.

Bishop says that work is already under way on a new station at Westgate, which is funded separately by the government’s Infrastructure Reference Group. The first stage will serve local bus services and is expected to open in mid-2026.

“Funding of around $116 million has also already been approved by the NZTA Board in late 2024 for early consenting work and strategic property acquisitions for Brigham Creek and Lincoln Rd stations,” he says.

“Depending on further funding availability, construction of the Northwest Busway could begin from 2027.”

The transport minister also announced that the NZTA board had endorsed an investment case for the project. The busway had been in various stages of planning for more than a decade.

There would be three stages to the project, with cost estimates for completing the first two ranging between $4.4 billion to $5 billion, according to the new investment case.

But a third stage, including stations at Western Springs and Pt Chevalier, plus a 6km stretch of route from the CBD to Waterview, wouldn’t be delivered for another 10 years.

The last phase of the project was also not included in the latest cost estimates.

Stage one of construction will see new stations at Brigham Creek and Lincoln Road as part of a $330m – $380m package of work.

Stage two will include the separated and bi-directional busway from Brigham Creek to Te Atatū, along with the stations at Royal Road and Te Atatū, the second stage of Westgate station, and the city centre connection at Newton at an estimated investment of $4,100m – $4,600m.

The Point Chevalier and Western Springs stations are to be delivered as a third stage.

“This is a common-sense project that will be transformational for the northwest of Auckland,” Bishop says.

“We need to get on with it, because congestion will only continue to get worse, current public transport will become overcrowded, late and unreliable, and economic growth and productivity in the northwest will go backwards if we don’t.”