Avondale Railway Station

The idea of the North Auckland railway line passing through Whau was first proposed around 1870. Geographic obstacles, a low population in West Auckland, and political interference delayed the identification of the right-of-way until 1876. John Bollard and John Buchanan of the Whau Highway Board offered the Government land for the railway. Construction began in 1878.

The railway reached Avondale in March of 1880. In its first year of the operation, 1,485 passenger tickets were issued from the local station. A small building housed the ticket office, waiting room, and, from 1881, the Post Office. On the Rosebank Road side of the track was a large goods shed. Eucalyptus trees planted at the time became a feature of the station for over sixty years.

By the early 1900s, the Avondale railway station was used far in excess of other nearby towns. This and the popularity of the nearby Avondale Racecourse led to the incorporation of Avondale as a borough in 1922. The expansion of trolleybus and tramway service throughout the suburb, follows by the adoption of the automobile, led to a decline in passenger service at the station. In 1986, to streamline railway services and cut costs, the Railway Station building was shut down. From then on, passengers had to buy tickets on board the trains.

In the 1990s, Auckland began to revive its public transport services and this allowed various upgrades to Avondale Station. The platform was raised in 1993 to meet the needs of new trains. In 1995, the old station building was relocated to Swanson and refurbished value. A new station was constructed in Avondale in 2010, with the line double-tracked westward. Four years later, the platform was extended to support the longer AM-class EMU trains. Passenger use has continued to increase alongside increases in population. Thus, over 140 years after it first opened, Avondale Railway Station is still an important artery that connects local residents to the rest of Auckland.

Continue along Layard Street. At Crayford Street W, turn right.