City Rail Link opening delay

The story so far

Auckland's $5.5 billion City Rail Link is now expected to open to passengers in the latter half of 2026, a timeline confirmed by government and local leaders as the project enters its final testing and commissioning phase.^{28 Nov 2025} The project is undergoing extensive testing, including crowd emergency evacuations, and officials are confident in the new timetable but have not confirmed a specific opening date.^{5 Dec 2025} Most Auckland train services will be suspended from 27 December 2025 to 28 January 2026 so that essential City Rail Link and wider network upgrade work can take place.^{9 Dec 2025}

Latest

Most Auckland train services are scheduled to be suspended for a month from late December, for essential City Rail Link and network work.^{9 Dec 2025}

What's next

Most Auckland train services will be suspended from 27 December 2025 to 28 January 2026.^{9 Dec 2025} The City Rail Link is expected to open in the second half of 2026, though no specific date has been confirmed.^{28 Nov 2025; 5 Dec 2025}

Key moments

1. 28 Nov 2025Opening delayed to the second half of 2026, confirmed by government and local leaders.
2. 5 Dec 2025Extensive testing begins, including crowd emergency evacuations; no specific opening date yet.
3. 9 Dec 2025Most Auckland train services to be suspended for a month from 27 December.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.