Westgate Station Opens as First Step in Northwest Busway

Westgate is among Auckland’s fastest-growing urban areas, with major residential and commercial development changing the number of people travelling through the area each day.

Auckland's new Westgate Station has been completed on schedule and under budget, giving residents in the rapidly growing northwest a new public transport hub while marking the first completed station in the wider Northwest Busway project. The station is expected to open to passengers on Sunday, 16 August, after Auckland Transport completes final operational readiness work. It replaces the temporary bus stops at Kedgley Road and will make transfers between local buses and express services to Auckland city centre easier, giving passengers a more comfortable and convenient connection as demand for public transport continues to rise across the northwest.

Westgate is among Auckland's fastest-growing urban areas, with major residential and commercial development changing the number of people travelling through the area each day. Around 100,000 additional people are expected to live in northwest Auckland by 2051, increasing pressure on State Highway 16 and creating greater demand for public transport that can operate reliably as the population grows.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said Westgate Station provides an immediate improvement for passengers while creating the foundation for the Northwest Busway, which is planned to provide dedicated rapid transit between Brigham Creek and Auckland city centre.

Passenger numbers at Westgate Station are expected to start at around 1,000 journeys each day before climbing to more than 13,000 daily journeys by 2041. The station will also support the Western Express, or WX1, which has recorded strong growth since services began in November 2023. More than 800,000 passenger trips were made on the WX1 during its first year, while the 12 months to May 2026 saw more than 1.1 million trips, around 40 per cent above forecasts.

$19m in Savings Redirected to Other Transport Projects

Westgate Station was originally allocated $50 million but has been completed below that budget, leaving around $19 million in forecast savings that will now be redirected into other public transport improvements.

The money will help fund Brigham Creek Station and its park-and-ride facilities, as well as improvements to the Newton Road on and off ramps along the existing WX1 corridor on State Highway 16. Bishop said redirecting the savings would allow further projects to progress while getting greater value from the original investment.

He acknowledged the NZ Transport Agency, its delivery partners and National Infrastructure Funding and Financing for managing the project in a way that allowed the station to be completed on time while producing substantial savings.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown welcomed the new station, saying northwest residents needed a rapid transit alternative to the heavily congested Northwestern Motorway. He pointed to the success of the WX1 as evidence of existing demand and said public investment needed to focus on projects capable of delivering strong benefits within limited government and council budgets.

Northwest Busway Could Carry 9,000 People an Hour

Westgate is only the first visible stage of a much larger transport project. NZTA lodged applications for statutory approvals for the wider Northwest Busway under the Fast-track Approvals Act in December 2025, with a decision from an expert panel expected in the coming months.

Enabling works for Brigham Creek Station are expected to start in early 2027, with construction scheduled for completion in early 2029. Once the full busway is delivered, it is expected to carry as many as 9,000 passengers per hour in each direction, which the Government says is comparable with the capacity of four motorway lanes.

Plans also point to a reliable journey of around 25 minutes between Brigham Creek and Auckland city centre, providing northwest communities with another option for reaching workplaces, education and services while reducing pressure on road space needed by freight and motorists.