The State Highway 1B Telephone Road rail crossing has been closed since the tracks were damaged by a truck in April 2022. The crossing will be upgraded in 2025 allowing it to safely reopen to traffic.
The rail crossing was closed due to repeated incidents where low vehicles damaged the railway tracks, raising the risk of a derailment for the approximately 38 trains a day which use this line.
The railway line is higher than the road on either side of it and this has caused some longer and lower trucks to scrape and dislodge sections of track as they cross.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) and KiwiRail made the decision to close the crossing while the future of this intersection was decided.
This rail crossing has been assessed by KiwiRail as being one of the most dangerous of 1300 public rail crossings in New Zealand, using the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (ALCAM).
In late 2024, NZTA and KiwiRail agreed on a package of improvements at the rail crossing and nearby Telephone Road/Holland Road intersection that would allow Telephone Road to reopen to through traffic.
The proposed improvements will see the road level raised, new escape lanes built and improved signage and road marking. The road surface will be raised by up to 410mm over a distance of 90 metres on Telephone Road north of the rail crossing and on Telephone Road/Holland Road/Marshmeadow Road south of the rail crossing.
Escape lanes built on the north side of Holland Road, either side of Telephone Road, will ensure longer vehicles heading south do not stack across the rail line as they wait to turn into Holland Road. For vehicles travelling east on Holland Road and wanting to turn left into Telephone Road, the escape lane provides a safe place to wait if access to Telephone Road is blocked by a train.
NZTA expects to have a confirmed contractor for the works on board before the end January 2025, with construction expected to be completed by mid-2025.
More information about the proposed improvements (external link)
In 2023 an investigation was commissioned into options for the rail crossing.
The investigation looked at all the available options, including those suggested by the community.
Read the investigation report [PDF, 5.3 MB]
These options were put forward for consideration for funding in the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme but were unsuccessful.
Read more about the funding process in the National Land Transport Programme section
