Beyond the Platform: A Visit to Auckland One Rail

Lisa Morris takes us behind the scenes of CILT’s Auckland One Rail visit, sharing the moments, technology and insights that made the evening one to remember — and why the experience has changed the way she’ll look at train travel.

The evening began at Platform 4 at Waitematā Station. As an international student in New Zealand, this was my first time travelling on Auckland’s rail network, and I was honoured to make that journey alongside Martin Kearney, CEO of Auckland One Rail, Gavin Panter, Chief Operating Officer, and a strikingly impressive group of transport and logistics professionals. We travelled towards the Wiri Maintenance Facility, eventually getting off at a station accessible only to Auckland One rail staff.

At Wiri, we were welcomed by a diverse group of Auckland One Rail leaders before hearing from Martin Kearney about the upcoming City Rail Link (CRL) and from Jarryd Sisley, General Manager of Engineering and Assets, about the facility and its operations. The session also opened up discussions around topics such as sustainability.

We then toured the facility, beginning with the planning, engineering and maintenance teams before entering the maintenance shed. This was probably my highlight of the evening. Jarryd gave us an insight into the engineering behind the trains, explaining everything from the carriages and their components to the physics behind how they operate. We even got an up-close look at a train wheel that had been removed and placed separately—and now, this was significantly larger than I had imagined!

We also visited the control room, where we saw the systems used to monitor train movements across the facility. What initially looked like a complicated circuit on the large curved screen began to make sense as we learned how the different lines and colours represented train movements and status.

The final highlight was the CRL driver simulator, where, for a few moments, we all became train drivers—at least in our heads. The experience was surreal and gave us a small glimpse into the technology and training involved in operating Auckland’s rail network.

We ended the evening with a final discussion about CRL and its upcoming launch. There was a clear sense of excitement around the project, and it was fascinating to understand the impact it will have on Auckland’s rail network.

I guess my journey on a train will never be the same again.