Open for business

Today, the new Platform 3 and refurbished station building opened for business, with the old Platform 2 closing for refurbishment.

But passengers can't tag on at the new platform yet as the tag post is missing some equipment

Tactile strips are also not quite finished

The ticket machine on the new platform also isn't yet working: the ticket office isn't far away however

The signs at various entrances helpfully display which platform each train is departing from

Passengers board a train standing at the new platform

Looking down the new 180m long Platform 3 from the north end

Looking down the platform from the other end

Overview of the station as it is now. Note the section of track that hasn't yet been lifted: presumably this can be reused as it's near new

Looking through the shelters, and the artwork on its glass panels

Looking straight down the new track towards a waiting train

A train waits at the new Platform 3, next to the closed and trackless Platform 2

Looking up onto the deck of the station building. The building contains a ticket office, small museum, toilets and (soon) a cafe

The old signalling equipment is on display in the station building. Note the temporary alteration on the right-hand side, added when the stabling yard tracks were reconfigured

The all-important toilets in the station building, in addition to the existing public toilets on the other side of the station

The former entrance to the old ticket office, now a window

Trucks carry away dirt from the old site of the station building

The new carpark is still under construction

A train passes the old platform, which is to be demolished and replaced

The dock platform is still off limits

With the (near) completion of Platform 3, work now focuses on Platform 2. We will bring you updates to this work as it happens.

Track work

Before the new platform and station building opens tomorrow, the new track needed to be connected. At the same time, the old Platform 2 track (Up Main) was ripped up and is to be relaid later.

Tracks are now connected and ballasted, ready to go tomorrow. Platform 3 is now effectively finished

Tracks at the north end have a temporary ballast road over it, but this will disappear

All electronic signs are now operational, including this one by the entrance by Brandy's...

...as well as this new one at the top of the stairs down to Platforms 1 and 2

Mind the Gap

It's now Platform 2's turn to be refurbished

The entrance to Platform 3 from Railway St West

How did that get there!?

In a bizarre twist, a tamper has appeared on the new track at Papakura, despite connections to the mainline still missing. One can only assume it was craned on overnight.

How did that tamper get there?

No track connection at either end...

Platform 1 and 2's electronic signs are now operational - Platform 2's will be operating for less than a week before being temporarily made redundant

Nearly there

With new information saying that the new Platform 3 will come into use from Monday 19 November, I popped down to see what work had to be done before the new platform opens for service in a week's time.

The entrance to the platform still has some work to be done, but it can be accessed now if temporary fences came down

Near-finished tracks and new signals at the end of Platform 3 and the new dock platform

The new shelter has artwork on it, similar to the artwork on the existing shelters (hard to make out in this photo)

Electronic departure signs also made an appearance at the carpark entrance. Now if only more stations got these...

At the north end, tracks are yet to be connected but the signals are ready to be commissioned

The all-important information signs

Ready to tag on with HOP

The also all-important seats and help posts

While the platform itself is pretty much finished (barring some minor packaging details), the tracks still have to be connected - this could be a big weekend at Papakura, with another shutdown looming.

Line closure, and an interesting addition

This afternoon, police found a body under the Great South Road overbridge at Manurewa, prompting police to close the line between Papakura and Homai. This was after police was called out to a house on the same road after a woman was stabbed. The woman was taken to hospital, where she died during surgery. The man, an Indian male in his 30s, was found dead under the bridge. The death is believed to be related to the stabbing incident.

As a result of this incident, delays and cancellations occurred on the rail network, not just on the Southern and Eastern Lines, but also on other lines as trains arrived late at Britomart, knocking on delays. Services were suspended between Homai and Papakura for a number of hours, with buses bridging the gap.

A signal displays red, preventing trains from continuing onto the crime scene

 If you have any information you can pass onto the police about this incident, please phone them on  09 261 1300, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

In station news, while not as big as the other news, this very conveniently placed electronic sign has appeared.

Very conveniently placed sign on the entrance to Platform 3

Minor changes

Minor details, such as fences, are being installed on the new platform, which is looking more complete each day. Some missing details include station signs.

The shelters are edging closer to completion, with side glass panels and a real-time information display installed. Platforms 1 and 2 have also gained these electronic signs

Overview of the station from Clevedon Road. When viewed from the footbridge, the unballasted part of track looks to be kinked, so presumably it'll be moved over when needed

Close up view of above

North of the bridge, some sleepers have appeared

Quiet shutdown

Another quiet weekend at Papakura this shut-down weekend.

The accessway to the new platform is almost complete

Fences have gone up on the access path

Ballast has been smoothed out on the new track