Te Ara Hauāuru - Northwest Busway

23 April 2025

Endorsement of the Northwest Rapid Transit Investment Case

Kia ora koutou,

We are pleased to share a recent announcement from the Minister of Transport Chris Bishop confirming the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Board endorsement of the Northwest Rapid Transit investment case. 

This is an exciting step towards faster, more frequent and reliable public transport for Auckland’s growing northwest. The project team will now seek to obtain statutory approvals for the project, likely via the Fast Track Approvals Act.

The investment case recommends a busway alongside State Highway 16 between Brigham Creek and the city centre, with a park and ride station at Brigham Creek and stations at Westgate, Royal Road, Lincoln Road, Te Atatū, Point Chevalier and Western Springs. The project will now be known as Te Ara Hauāuru - Northwest Busway.

“Identified as a priority in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024 (GPS), delivering the Northwest Busway will be a game changer, and will build on the success of the Northern Busway, City Rail Link, Eastern Busway, and other public transport improvements across Auckland" announced Transport Minister Chris Bishop. 

“The Northwest Busway includes a park and ride station at Brigham Creek and stations at Westgate, Royal Road, Lincoln Road, Te Atatū, Point Chevalier and Western Springs. It will be able to move up to 9,000 passengers per hour in each direction – the equivalent of four motorway lanes. It will also provide a reliable 25-minute journey time from Brigham Creek to the city centre – all day, every day.”

As funding for delivery becomes available, the project will be built in stages prioritising benefits to West Aucklanders sooner and focuses on more people benefitting from faster and more reliable journeys, as quickly as possible, while building on the popular WX1 service.

Now the investment case is complete, we will be engaging with stakeholders and landowners to discuss next steps, and further design and investigation work will be carried out in the coming months ahead of lodging Notices of Requirement.

The Northwest Busway will:

• connect more people with more jobs and education opportunities – boosting economic growth
• be able to move up to 9,000 people per hour in each direction (the same as a four-lane motorway) – freeing up space on the motorway for freight, tradies and those that need to drive
• provide better and faster transport choices including a reliable 25-minute journey from Brigham Creek to Karanga-a-Hape City Rail Link Station with 15 minutes saved in the morning peak
• deliver 7 new bus stations and a park and ride at Brigham Creek - improving access for communities that need it
• support growth and urban development in one of New Zealand’s fastest growing areas. 

Key features:

• Busway - separated bi-directional busway lanes between Brigham Creek and Te Atatū and between Point Chevalier and Ian McKinnon Drive, with enhancements to existing bus shoulder lanes along the causeway.
• Station locations – Brigham Creek (with Park and Ride), Westgate,Royal Road, Lincoln Road, Te Atatū, Point Chevalier and Western Springs.
• City centre - the busway aligns with Auckland Transport’s City Centre Bus Plan and will connect to the local street network in the city centre via a new connection to Ian McKinnon Drive, bypassing Newton Road. In time and as demand grows, additional city centre routes will be added, in much the same way as there are now NX1 and NX2 routes for the Northern Busway.

Westgate Station update

You may have seen construction is underway on the first stage of a new bus station at Westgate – which will be at the heart of a public transport network for the northwest, connecting local bus users with current express services.  

The station, funded separately by the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group, will be complete by mid-2026, replacing the temporary bus shelters on Kedgley Road, and supporting the increased volume and movement of buses to and from the northwest and the wider network.

Located near shopping hubs, workplaces and public amenities, the station will provide an enhanced level of service, security and shelter for bus passengers. Features will include a customer service centre, digital information screens, public toilets, bike and scooter parking, passenger drop off and pick up zones, ticket machines, enclosed waiting space and seating.  

Customer safety will be improved by design that integrates security measures including CCTV, increased lighting, 24/7 emergency telephones, intuitive wayfinding and large windows to increase light and visibility.  

The design has been future proofed to allow for electric bus charging, future retail kiosk and an expansion to integrate with the future Northwest Busway. 

Below is an artist's impression of stage one of Westgate Station.

Contact us

For more information, please check out the project website or contact the project team on the following details:

Email the team: NWRapidTeam@nzta.govt.nz

Phone: 0800 469 727 (0800 4 NWRAPID)