What’s the City Rail Link accessibility like?

A few weeks ago, The D*List was lucky enough to check out the City Rail Link ahead of its opening on September 13. We’d previously published a roundup of some of the accessibility features, so we were keen to check them out in person to see if they measured up to what we expected.

It was a cold and sunny Thursday morning, and I met up with Marlo Schorr-Kon (a former D*List intern!) outside the Maungawhau Station to begin our tour, alongside the Auckland Council Disability Advisory group members.

Our morning adventure took us through Karanga-a-Hape Station and Te Waihorotiu Station, then back to Maungawhau. At each station, we spent time appreciating the art while also trying out all the accessible features like the wide access gates, accessible bathrooms, lowered customer service desks, and Braille signs.

For Marlo, his favourite feature was the elevators. “The station's best access feature is the lifts! There are a couple at each station, some are a little narrow but they are all pretty smooth.”

In terms of room for improvements, we made a note of the Mercury Lane entrance to the Karanga-a-Hape Station; while there are no steps, the entrance is on quite a steep slope if you are heading up towards K Road. However, Auckland Transport advised us that the Beresford Square entrance to the Karanga-a-Hape Station was more flat and accessible.

Overall, Marlo would rate the CRL's accessibility as a 4/5.

“While the stations are incredible, Te Waihorotiu, in particular, requires a considerable amount of walking to get from the platform to the Victoria St exit,” he said.

Marlo is excited to take the train on the CRL routes. “I will absolutely use the CRL when it finally opens. Bring on September 13th!”

Check out the video below to see for yourself!