Commuter rail links to Helensville in northwest Auckland are resuming, for the first time in 28 years.
Years of lobbying by people living in Helensville persuaded Auckland Regional Council members to introduce a one-year trial that will cost more than $1 million. The ARC aims to attract 40 new passengers per trip on the 30km link.
It will provide a direct link between Helensville and West Auckland centres such as Henderson and New Lynn.
But for downtown commuters, it will compete with a long-established, bus service, which actually gets commuters to the Auckland CBD 15 minutes quicker.
