The Northern Busway is a segregated
busway that runs along the eastern side of the
Northern Motorway, part of
State Highway 1, in the north of
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand, linking the
North Shore with the northern end of the
Auckland Harbour Bridge
The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins Saint Marys Bay, New Zealand, St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote, Auckland, Northcote on the North Shore, ...
. As of May 2022, the busway consists of two-way lanes running between Albany Station and Akoranga Station, and from Akoranga Station a southbound-only lane that joins the Harbour Bridge approaches just south of the Onewa Road on-ramp system. The busway previously ended at Constellation before an extension to Albany was constructed in 2022.
Six stations provide access points for passengers to board; some stations have park and ride parking spaces; others have drop off and pick up zones only.
City-bound Northern Express (NX1 and NX2) services commence from
Hibiscus Coast Station or
Albany Station; from Albany, the lanes reduced travel time to
Waitematā station from around one hour by car during
peak hours to about half an hour by bus. In the reverse direction, NX1 and NX2 services leaving the city travel north to the Akoranga off-ramp, cross over the motorway, and enter Akoranga Station, from where they travel north on the busway lanes. The busway lanes are also an important transport link within the North Shore, where they are the spine of the bus-based
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...
system.
History
Background
Prior to 2000, indicative scheme and station planning was undertaken by International Transport Planning Consultants (McCormick Rankin International) who were engaged by Serco on behalf of Transit.
In 2000, the North Shore Busway Office was established with a team to focus both on the overall scheme as well as the station components. This reflected the nature of the proposed funding. McCormick Rankin undertook refined schematic design and the Busway Team focused on the community consultation and funding programmes. Original plans included a
Northcote Point station proposed for Stafford Road, which Northcote residents lobbied against, and was removed from the plan in December 2000.
The ARC held a regional Station Theming Design Competition in 2001 to select a consultant to develop a Theming Manual for application across all major public transport stations to the Auckland Region. This provided a distinctive design signature to the region visually linking all public transport facilities. MARIO MADAYAG/Jasmax Architects were selected as winners for the competition with part of their benefit being their commission on this concept design exercise. The ARC separately engaged MARIO MADAYAG/Jasmax to develop the Theming Manuals within the set parameters of that project. The project ran in parallel with the busway station concept design exercise but was heavily integrated as the pedestrian overbridge, stair lift towers and waiting enclosure developed concepts for the Busway were integrated with the Theming Manual.
Concept, design and construction

Concept design for the busway was developed by MRCagney (formerly McCormick Rankin Cagney), with detailed design and consultation completed by Mario Madayag Architecture, Jasmax,
Beca Group,
Opus
Opus (: opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera ...
and
Connell Wagner.
Fletcher Construction
The Fletcher Construction Company Limited is a New Zealand construction company and a subsidiary of Fletcher Building. Together with Higgins Contractors Ltd and Brian Perry Civil it makes up the Construction division of Fletcher Building. Fletc ...
was responsible for construction. Akoranga, Smales Farm, and Sunnynook stations were built by
NZ Strong Construction.
Difficulties encountered included the nearby residential areas, the predominantly soft ground, and environmental efforts to protect
New Zealand dotterel breeding grounds. Construction employed around 300 people at its peak, with around a million man-hours being invested, including shifts during 512 nights.
[''Busway bits 'n' pieces'' – ''Region Wide'', newsletter of the ]Auckland Regional Council
The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...
, March 2008, Page 4
A proposed station at Onewa was cancelled after local residents petitioned and protested against the scheme – claiming that it would increase traffic on neighbourhood streets.
Operation
The busway was officially opened in February 2008
after several years of construction, though the Albany and Constellation stations had been operating since December 2005 using the normal Northern Motorway lanes. It was credited with reducing peak traffic on the Northern Motorway by around 500 cars each rush hour one month after opening, and about 39% of passengers on the Northern Express bus service had never used public transport before.
The busway was initially used by 70 buses per hour during peak time.
In 2008, the busway received the 'Shell Bitumen Excellence Award for a Major Roading Project' and the 'Roading New Zealand Supreme Award'.
In June 2009, it received the
Ingenium 'Excellence Award' (in the category for projects above NZ$2 million construction cost).
In June 2010, the busway carried its 5 millionth passenger and was estimated to remove the equivalent of about 5,100 cars in the morning peak, with 80 buses per hour during peak times.
By mid-2011, frequency of the Northern Express had risen to every three minutes during the morning peak hour, five minutes during the 'shoulder peak'.
In 2015, some Northern Express services were extended to Hibiscus Coast busway station (formerly named Silverdale Park and Ride).
In 2017, Auckland Transport's projections indicated that the busway would reach maximum capacity in 2026, twenty years earlier than originally expected. AT's report said that increased patronage would "manifest in overcapacity conditions and poor operational performances" at Albany, Sunnynook and Akoranga stations. AT was investigating a range of improvements, including lengthening station platforms. A decision on a timeline for conversion of the busway to a rail link was expected to be announced before the end of 2017. In the 12 months to December 2018, the busway carried nearly 6 million passengers.
In May 2022 the extension of the busway between Constellation and Albany was opened.
Funding
The busway became fully operational in 2009, with some final sections being completed with little publicity, for around NZ$290–294 million: $210 million for the busway and $84 million for the stations.
[''Following the money'' – ''e.nz magazine'', IPENZ January/February 2007] The project was funded by
Transit New Zealand,
ARTA,
Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1989 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elec ...
and
North Shore City Council.
Infrastructure
Busway
The busway has two lanes for 6.2 km
running parallel with the eastern side of the Northern Motorway from Albany Station to Akoranga Station at the Esmonde Road interchange,
[''Busway the way of the future for North Shore'' – ''LG, New Zealand Local Government'', May 2007, Volume 43 No 05] from where a one-way southbound bus lane extends a further 2.5 km to south of the Onewa Road interchange, where it merges with the motorway for the
Harbour Bridge.
[''Dedicated busway a roaring success'' – ''LG, New Zealand Local Government'', March 2008, Volume 44 No 03]
Its use is limited to Auckland Transport approved buses, emergency and maintenance vehicles.
[Welcome to the Northern Busway](_blank)
(from the official project website) Since August 2021,
SkyBus no longer operates in Auckland. The busway has been designed for possible use by
car pools.
Bus stations

The busway includes six dedicated stations, some with extensive
park-and-ride car parks. Feeder bus services serve the stations, allowing transfer.
The stations are (north to south):
All stations provide shelters and cycle parking – with glass walls, low planting, night lighting and
CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
to enhance security.
[Frequently Asked Question](_blank)
(from the North Shore City Council website. Accessed 21 March 2008.)
Hibiscus Coast
Located in
Silverdale, this station was originally a park and ride before being converted into a station. It was officially opened as a station in February 2021. The station has services to
Waiwera,
Orewa
Orewa () is a settlement in the northern Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is a suburb of the Hibiscus Coast, just north of the base of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula and north of central Auckland. The Auckland Northern Motorway, Northern Motor ...
,
Gulf Harbour,
Manly and,
Warkworth.
Albany
Located in
Albany. The Albany park and ride station was opened in November 2005. It serves as the terminus of some NX1 and NX2 services and all 866 services. An extension to the segregated busway from Constellation was opened in 2022.
Constellation
Located near Constellation Drive. Construction for a park and ride began in 2003 and was finished in November, 2005.
Sunnynook
Located in
Sunnynook. Construction began in 2005 and finished in February 2008.
Smales Farm
Located in
Takapuna
Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore, New Zealand, North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is an isthmus between Shoal Bay, New Zealand, Shoal Bay, arm of the Waitematā Harbour, and the Hauraki Gulf. Lake Pupuke, a volca ...
, it has a customer service centre.
Akoranga
Akoranga bus station is located in
Northcote.
Other structures
Major related structures are the Esmonde Interchange (including large-scale improvements for general traffic) and Tristram Avenue Viaduct, which crosses the often-congested Tristram Avenue via
grade separation
In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...
. The viaduct has 12 spans of 30 m each, with the
foundation piles being 1.5 m thick.
The Northern Busway is adjacent to a shared path from Constellation Station to Oteha Valley Road, which opened in 2023.
Electricity transmission cables
Cable ducts were placed beneath the busway during the construction in 2005, to provide for the future installation of electricity transmission cables. The cables installed in these ducts during 2012 and 2013 form part of a major upgrade to the security of supply to North Auckland and Northland.
Plans
By 2015, plans were unveiled to extend the busway lanes northwards between Constellation Station to Albany Station. This was completed in 2022.
An extension towards
Orewa
Orewa () is a settlement in the northern Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is a suburb of the Hibiscus Coast, just north of the base of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula and north of central Auckland. The Auckland Northern Motorway, Northern Motor ...
in the north is being debated for the long-term future. It was originally expected to cost around NZ$500 million,
although the success of the scheme has now sparked potentially more extensive schemes for between NZ$700 million and NZ$1.2 billion to at least
Silverdale, with up to five tunnels and seven bridges, including a motorway flyover between Constellation and Albany stations. Plans in 2008 included additional stations at Rosedale and Redvale.
In December 2017, plans were released for a $70 million station at Rosedale, situated between the Albany and Constellation stations. The station would be sited on Arrenway Drive with platforms extending across Rosedale Road for bus transfers to other routes. A construction start date of mid-2019 and opening in 2021 were proposed. Resource consent was granted in 2020 and construction of the new station is expected to begin in late 2024.
Conversion to rail-based transit
The Northern Busway's usage is tracking towards capacity being reached by 2030. Auckland Transport have studied the future mass transit needs for the North Shore, with light rail being determined the most flexible mode compared to other rail-based options.
See also
*
Eastern Busway, Auckland
*
Other busway systems
*
Ritchies Transport
Ritchies Transport is a New Zealand private bus operator, owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, KKR. It was established in 1972 and describes itself as "the largest privately owned bus and coach transport operator in New Zealand" with a fleet of ove ...
, contracted operator of NX1, 83, and 866 services
*
Tranzurban Auckland, contracted operator of NX2 services
References
External links
Northern Busway(official project website – archived version)
{{Bus transport in New Zealand
Busways
State Highway 1 (New Zealand)