Kauri Street Bus Depot - Miramar

September 2024 (complete) 

Community engagement

October 2024 through to early 2025 

Planning and design

2025

Construction of initial stage

2026

Additional electric buses on site from 2026  

To be determined but unlikely before 2029

Full completion of depot development

Metlink are excited to share plans for the stage 1 development of the new Kauri St electric bus depot. 

Stage 1 will include parking and charging for 68 electric buses, a staff amenity building, bus workshop and bus wash.

The plan below shows the layout for stage 1:

A number of existing features will remain, including exit fencing and entry/exits.  

We are planning to widen the existing exit on Kauri St to enable buses to use this to enter and leave. This will reduce traffic using the current Broadway entry which will improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists and reduce the risk of traffic congestion on the Calabar/Broadway roundabout.

All buses will exit the site right into Kauri St and will not travel along Miro St, Kedah St or northern Kauri St as part of normal bus operations.  Most buses (except airport buses) will turn left onto Broadway and join the existing bus network at Hobart St.  Traffic modelling indicates that the existing road network is able to accommodate the increase in bus traffic, which is predominately outside of peak hours. 

Minor modification of the Kauri St/Broadway intersection will be undertaken to ensure safety of road-users, pedestrians and cyclists.

The current Airport Express bus depot will remain. Metlink are planning to start construction in early 2025. 

Information about the planned depot was shared with the community during September 2024, including running two information drop-in sessions where the public had the opportunity to ask questions and understand the staging and details more.

The community provided great feedback on how the depot expansion would benefit and impact the immediate and wider community. This feedback will be considered as the design is developed. Metlink thanks the community for their time and insight.

Feedback was given on a wide range of topics including increased traffic through the streets, construction disruption and impact, operational impact in the form of lights, noise, vibrations, parking, fencing, building placement, and how the community can contribute to the project.

Metlink are now working on plans for stage 1 of the project and will factor in the community feedback and concerns when considering options.

The FAQs have been updated to reflect the frequently asked questions received. 

What will the buildings look like. 

We are in the process of designing the buildings and will share elevations in due course.

How tall will the buildings be?

The bus workshop needs to be tall enough to enable us to lift buses as part of maintenance activities.  The workshop will be located in the middle of the site and will have a total height of less than 10m. The staff building will be two-story and approximately 8m high.

What will happen to the Pohutukawa trees and other plantings?

All existing Pohutukawa trees will remain during stage 1 development, some of the canopies may need to be pruned to avoid coming into contact with double decker buses.  A trained arborist would be used for this work.

What will happen to the grassed area to the north of the site along Kedah St? 

As our electric bus fleet increases, Metlink will need to develop the northern end to enable more buses to be charged. Initially we will be developing the parts of the site that are used for rental vehicles and so the grassed area will remain for another few years.

What will be the impact on pedestrians and cyclists travelling past the depot.

Relocation of the main bus entry to Kauri St will reduce the number of vehicle movements crossing the footpath on Broadway which will reduce safety risks to pedestrians and cyclists. 

What will be the impacts on adjacent residential housing?   

Impacts may include noise, traffic and visually. We will implement design solutions, such as acoustic fencing and planting to mitigate any impact.   

When will construction of the depot begin?  

Construction of the southern end of the site is planned to commence in early 2025.

When will the rest of the site be developed. 

Metlink has not made any decisions as to when the northern end of the site will be developed, but it is unlikely to happen before 2028.  The remainder of the site may be progressively developed.

What will be the impact on residents during construction.

Metlink will be working with building contractors to ensure construction disruption is minimized.  We will share these plans before construction commences. 

Will there be increased bus movements using the residential streets surrounding the Miramar site?    

The proximity to State Highway 1 and major bus routes means that there is likely to be minimal increase in bus movements in the adjacent residential streets. 

How will buses enter and exit the site. 

The primary bus entry and exit into the site will be via the existing exit on Kauri St.  The exit will be widened to enable this to occur safely. The current Broadway entry will generally only be used for buses accessing the workshop or last buses in at the end of the day. Most buses will leave the depot before 7am and return after 8pm which is outside of peak traffic.  

What route will buses take to and from the depot. 

All buses will exit the site right into Kauri St, then and turn left onto Broadway (except airport buses) and join the existing bus network at Hobart St.  

Will increased bus movements affect traffic congestion in the area, particularly along Cobham Drive, Calabar Rd and Miramar Ave? 

Traffic modelling indicates that the existing road network is able to accommodate the increase in bus traffic, which is predominately outside of peak hours.

The Broadway roundabout is already jammed in the mornings, will increase bus movements make this worse and result in buses queuing up Kauri St? 

Our buses will leave the depot and return outside of peak traffic and will therefore not contribute to peak time traffic congestion. Traffic modelling indicates that the existing road network is able to accommodate the increase in bus traffic.

Will parking around the depot site be affected?   

No. Metlink is planning to include onsite parking for staff vehicles.

Will there still be on-street parking around the block?     

Yes, there will still be parking around the block. 

What will be the operating hours of the depot. 

The first bus will leave the depot just before 5am (which is the current situation with the airport express buses).  The last buses return to the depot around 1am and slightly later on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  The last buses will enter from Broadway to reduce disruption to residents.

Will this affect any businesses in the local area?    

No, we don’t anticipate the development of the bus depot to impact local businesses.

Will the buses be noisy, particularly when they start up in the morning?

Electric buses are extremely quiet and have no requirements to idle engines when they start up.  Metlink is not planning to accommodate diesel buses at this depot.

When the buses are charging, will this drain our local power supply?   

Metlink is working with Wellington Electricity to ensure the depot has sufficient power without impacting supply to the local vicinity.  

How much power will the charging of buses use?  

Metlink is working on this with Wellington Electricity and our electric bus charging consultants.

What will happen to the car rental vehicles currently located on the site. 

Rental vehicles will no longer be located on the site from early 2024.  Any new locations are a matter for WIAL.