The Strand Station

The Strand Station, also referred to as Auckland Strand Station (formerly part of Auckland Railway Station), is a railway station located on the eastern edge of the Auckland CBD. It serves as the long-distance railway station for Auckland. It is the northern terminus of the Northern Explorer service between Auckland and Wellington, and the northern terminus for the Te Huia service between Auckland and Hamilton. Suburban services are not scheduled to pass through the station, however, it serves as a backup for Britomart during times of disruption or closures.

The platforms were formerly part of the Auckland Railway Station complex which was opened on 24 November 1930 on Beach Road, replacing the previous railway terminus which was on the Queen Street site where Britomart now stands. The 1930 station was the third to serve as the rail terminus for Auckland, and remained the sole station serving the CBD until its closure on 7 July 2003, when Britomart became the new terminus. The original Platform 7 (now referred to as Platform 1) was retained for limited use as 'The Strand Station', named after the adjacent street. It continued to be used by a limited number of peak-hour suburban trains for a few months following the opening of Britomart. After this, the sole used platform served as a limited-use station for excursions and charters, though it and the other abandoned platforms fell into a state of disrepair. In August 2011, the original Platform 7 and Platform 6 (now referred to as Platform 2) were redeveloped and officially reopened for potential use during Rugby World Cup 2011, although they were never used for that purpose.