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 -branded
Northern Express service operated by
Ritchies Transport in 2008 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 and
Connell Wagner.
Fletcher Construction was responsible for construction. Akoranga, Smales Farm, and Sunnynook stations were built by NZ Strong Construction. 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. 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. The project was funded by
Transit New Zealand,
ARTA,
Auckland City Council and
North Shore City Council. ==Infrastructure==