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Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Catastrophic': Rural public media stations brace for GOP cuts
Public media stations around the country are anxiously awaiting the results of Thursday's House vote that could claw back $1.1 billion from public broadcasting, with leaders warning that the cuts present an existential crisis for public media's future. For smaller stations — many of which are in rural parts of the country — the funding makes up critical chunks of their yearly operating budgets. Many of them are being forced to plan how they'll survive the cuts, if they can at all, public media executives say. Local leaders say the cuts would not only deprive their audiences of news and educational programming, but could also lead to a breakdown of the emergency broadcast message infrastructure that is critical for communities with less reliable internet or cellular service. 'That would mean an almost immediate disappearance of almost half our operating budget,' David Gordon, executive director of KEET in Eureka, California, said of the rescission proposal. 'Assuming [KEET] would continue, it would be in a very, very different form than it is right now.' The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that distributes federal money to public media stations via grants, said about 45 percent of public radio and TV stations it provided grants to in 2023 are in rural areas. Nearly half of those rural stations relied on CPB funding for 25 percent or more of their revenue. But that funding is being targeted for a vote as part of a push from President Donald Trump that also aims to cut $8.3 billion in foreign aid. The rescissions package would cut CPB funding already approved by Congress for the next two fiscal years. The proposal, which only needs approval from a simple majority, must pass both chambers of Congress within 45 legislative days from the day it's introduced. The House is set to vote on Thursday. If the House and Senate follow their current schedules, the deadline to vote on the cuts is July 18. If the deadline passes and Congress has not approved the cuts, the White House will be required to spend the money — but funding could still be cut in future budgets. If approved, the package would codify a series of cuts first picked out by the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year. Both Trump and Elon Musk, former head of DOGE, have repeatedly accused NPR and PBS of bias against Republicans. In 2023, the Musk-owned social media site X labeled NPR as "state-affiliated media," falsely suggesting the organization produces propaganda. Trump regularly suggested cutting federal funding for public media during his first term. But his second term has brought increased hostility to mainstream media outlets, including the Associated Press, Voice of America, ABC News and CBS News. Approximately 19 percent of NPR member stations count on CPB funding for at least 30 percent of their revenue — a level at which stations would be unlikely to make up if Congress approves the rescissions, according to an NPR spokesperson. Ed Ulman, CEO of Alaska Public Media, predicts over a third of public media stations in Alaska alone would be forced to shut down 'within three to six months' if their federal funding disappears. PBS CEO Paula Kerger said in an interview she expects 'a couple dozen stations' to have 'significant' funding problems 'in the very near term' without federal funding. And she believes more could be in long-term jeopardy even if they survive the immediate aftermath of the cuts. 'A number of [stations] are hesitant to say it publicly,' she said. 'I know that some of our stations are very, very worried about the fact that they might be able to keep it pieced together for a short period of time. But for them, it will be existential.' Smaller stations with high dependency on federal funding may be forced into hard choices about where to make cuts. Some stations are considering cutting some of what little full-time staff they have, or canceling some of the NPR and PBS programming they pay to air. Phil Meyer, CEO of Southern Oregon PBS in Medford, Oregon, said his station will have to get creative just to stay afloat. 'If we eliminated all our staff, it still wouldn't save us enough money,' Meyer said. 'It becomes an existential scenario planning exercise where, if that funding does go away, we would have to look at a different way of doing business.' Some rural stations are worried they won't be able to cover the costs to maintain the satellite and broadcast infrastructure used to relay emergency broadcast messages without the federal grants. In remote areas without reliable broadband or internet coverage, public media stations can be the only way for residents to get natural disaster warnings or hear information about evacuation routes. After Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina last year, leaving the region without electricity for days, Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, North Carolina, provided vital information on road closure and access to drinking water for people using battery-powered and hand-cranked radios. 'I think it's pretty catastrophic,' Sherece Lamke, president and general manager of Pioneer PBS in Granite Falls, Minnesota, said of the potential consequences of losing the 30 percent of her station's budget supplied by CPB. Station managers around the country have made direct pleas to their home congressional delegations in the past year, urging them to protect public broadcasting from the rescission proposal and publicly opposing Trump's executive order calling on CPB to stop providing funding to stations. PBS, NPR and some local stations have sued the Trump administration to block the order. Brian Duggan, general manager of KUNR Public Radio in Reno, Nevada, said he's optimistic about the chances of the House voting down the funding cuts, particularly after talking with his local member of Congress, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), who co-signed a statement opposing cuts to public media on Monday. 'I maintain optimism … based on my conversations with the congressman,' Duggan said. 'I will just hold out hope to see what happens ultimately on the House floor.' Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, whose public media stations are among the most dependent on federal grants in the country, told POLITICO on Wednesday she's concerned about stations in her state and is trying to get the package changed. In the wake of Trump administration pressure, some stations have seen an uptick in grassroots donations. But while larger stations in well-populated metro areas have broader, wealthier donor bases to draw on for additional support, many rural stations can only expect so much help from their community. Some of the stations in rural areas are forced to navigate the added complication of asking for donations from Republican voters as Trump rails against the public media ecosystem. 'We live in a very purple district up here,' Sarah Bignall, CEO and general manager of KAXE in Grand Rapids, Minnesota said. 'If we started kind of doing the push and the fundraising efforts that were done in the Twin Cities, it would be very off-putting to a lot of our listeners.' Increases in donations, sponsors and state funding — only some states fund public broadcasting, and other states are pushing their own cuts to public broadcasting — would be unlikely to cover the full loss of smaller stations with heavy dependence on federal grants. 'It's not like we can just go, you know, 'Let's find a million dollars somewhere else.'' Lamke said. 'If we knew how to do that, we would have.' Longtime public media employees have experience in managing the lack of certainty that comes with the nonprofit funding model. But some said that the federal cuts, along with the White House effort to eliminate the public media model, have made forecasting the future of their stations more difficult than ever. 'I think this is the biggest risk that we've had, certainly in the time that I've been in public broadcasting,' Kruger said. 'And I've been in this business 30 years.' Calen Razor contributed to this report.
Politico
12-06-2025
- Business
- Politico
‘Catastrophic': Rural public media stations brace for GOP cuts
Public media stations around the country are anxiously awaiting the results of Thursday's House vote that could claw back $1.1 billion from public broadcasting, with leaders warning that the cuts present an existential crisis for public media's future. For smaller stations — many of which are in rural parts of the country — the funding makes up critical chunks of their yearly operating budgets. Many of them are being forced to plan how they'll survive the cuts, if they can at all, public media executives say. Local leaders say the cuts would not only deprive their audiences of news and educational programming, but could also lead to a breakdown of the emergency broadcast message infrastructure that is critical for communities with less reliable internet or cellular service. 'That would mean an almost immediate disappearance of almost half our operating budget,' David Gordon, executive director of KEET in Eureka, California, said of the rescission proposal. 'Assuming [KEET] would continue, it would be in a very, very different form than it is right now.' The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that distributes federal money to public media stations via grants, said about 45 percent of public radio and TV stations it provided grants to in 2023 are in rural areas. Nearly half of those rural stations relied on CPB funding for 25 percent or more of their revenue. But that funding is being targeted for a vote as part of a push from President Donald Trump that also aims to cut $8.3 billion in foreign aid. The rescissions package would cut CPB funding already approved by Congress for the next two fiscal years. The proposal, which only needs approval from a simple majority, must pass both chambers of Congress within 45 legislative days from the day it's introduced. The House is set to vote on Thursday. If the House and Senate follow their current schedules, the deadline to vote on the cuts is July 18. If the deadline passes and Congress has not approved the cuts, the White House will be required to spend the money — but funding could still be cut in future budgets. If approved, the package would codify a series of cuts first picked out by the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year. Both Trump and Elon Musk, former head of DOGE, have repeatedly accused NPR and PBS of bias against Republicans. In 2023, the Musk-owned social media site X labeled NPR as 'state-affiliated media,' falsely suggesting the organization produces propaganda. Trump regularly suggested cutting federal funding for public media during his first term. But his second term has brought increased hostility to mainstream media outlets, including the Associated Press, Voice of America, ABC News and CBS News. Approximately 19 percent of NPR member stations count on CPB funding for at least 30 percent of their revenue — a level at which stations would be unlikely to make up if Congress approves the rescissions, according to an NPR spokesperson. Ed Ulman, CEO of Alaska Public Media, predicts over a third of public media stations in Alaska alone would be forced to shut down 'within three to six months' if their federal funding disappears. PBS CEO Paula Kerger said in an interview she expects 'a couple dozen stations' to have 'significant' funding problems 'in the very near term' without federal funding. And she believes more could be in long-term jeopardy even if they survive the immediate aftermath of the cuts. 'A number of [stations] are hesitant to say it publicly,' she said. 'I know that some of our stations are very, very worried about the fact that they might be able to keep it pieced together for a short period of time. But for them, it will be existential.' Smaller stations with high dependency on federal funding may be forced into hard choices about where to make cuts. Some stations are considering cutting some of what little full-time staff they have, or canceling some of the NPR and PBS programming they pay to air. Phil Meyer, CEO of Southern Oregon PBS in Medford, Oregon, said his station will have to get creative just to stay afloat. 'If we eliminated all our staff, it still wouldn't save us enough money,' Meyer said. 'It becomes an existential scenario planning exercise where, if that funding does go away, we would have to look at a different way of doing business.' Some rural stations are worried they won't be able to cover the costs to maintain the satellite and broadcast infrastructure used to relay emergency broadcast messages without the federal grants. In remote areas without reliable broadband or internet coverage, public media stations can be the only way for residents to get natural disaster warnings or hear information about evacuation routes. After Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina last year, leaving the region without electricity for days, Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, North Carolina, provided vital information on road closure and access to drinking water for people using battery-powered and hand-cranked radios. 'I think it's pretty catastrophic,' Sherece Lamke, president and general manager of Pioneer PBS in Granite Falls, Minnesota, said of the potential consequences of losing the 30 percent of her station's budget supplied by CPB. Station managers around the country have made direct pleas to their home congressional delegations in the past year, urging them to protect public broadcasting from the rescission proposal and publicly opposing Trump's executive order calling on CPB to stop providing funding to stations. PBS, NPR and some local stations have sued the Trump administration to block the order. Brian Duggan, general manager of KUNR Public Radio in Reno, Nevada, said he's optimistic about the chances of the House voting down the funding cuts, particularly after talking with his local member of Congress, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), who co-signed a statement opposing cuts to public media on Monday. 'I maintain optimism … based on my conversations with the congressman,' Duggan said. 'I will just hold out hope to see what happens ultimately on the House floor.' Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, whose public media stations are among the most dependent on federal grants in the country, told POLITICO on Wednesday she's concerned about stations in her state and is trying to get the package changed. In the wake of Trump administration pressure, some stations have seen an uptick in grassroots donations. But while larger stations in well-populated metro areas have broader, wealthier donor bases to draw on for additional support, many rural stations can only expect so much help from their community. Some of the stations in rural areas are forced to navigate the added complication of asking for donations from Republican voters as Trump rails against the public media ecosystem. 'We live in a very purple district up here,' Sarah Bignall, CEO and general manager of KAXE in Grand Rapids, Minnesota said. 'If we started kind of doing the push and the fundraising efforts that were done in the Twin Cities, it would be very off-putting to a lot of our listeners.' Increases in donations, sponsors and state funding — only some states fund public broadcasting, and other states are pushing their own cuts to public broadcasting — would be unlikely to cover the full loss of smaller stations with heavy dependence on federal grants. 'It's not like we can just go, you know, 'Let's find a million dollars somewhere else.'' Lamke said. 'If we knew how to do that, we would have.' Longtime public media employees have experience in managing the lack of certainty that comes with the nonprofit funding model. But some said that the federal cuts, along with the White House effort to eliminate the public media model, have made forecasting the future of their stations more difficult than ever. 'I think this is the biggest risk that we've had, certainly in the time that I've been in public broadcasting,' Kruger said. 'And I've been in this business 30 years.' Calen Razor contributed to this report.
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Auckland Rail Network Reopens After Successful Upgrades
Press Release – KiwiRail As passenger trains return to service today, Auckland's rapidly growing Franklin community will benefit from trains running twice as often at peak times. This is possible because of the huge progress made across the rail network during the April … 2025's second Auckland rail closure draws region closer to CRL opening Auckland rail services are back up and running as KiwiRail and its partners continue to deliver an ambitious work programme across the region including major infrastructure projects. As passenger trains return to service today, Auckland's rapidly growing Franklin community will benefit from trains running twice as often at peak times. This is possible because of the huge progress made across the rail network during the April rail closure. Teams undertook upgrade and renewal works at more than 80 sites across Auckland's rail network during the two-week closure. About 900 workers continued to deliver an ambitious programme including major infrastructure projects, as KiwiRail and Auckland Transport (AT) ready the rail network for the faster, more frequent train services the City Rail Link (CRL) will bring when it opens next year. The rail elements of the Wiri to Quay Park (W2QP) Third Main project are now complete and entering the operational readiness phase. This critical project on the Southern Line separates passenger and freight trains on the busiest parts of the Auckland network. 'Despite some appalling weather, all projects we'd planned for the 16-day shutdown are now complete after KiwiRail teams successfully managed a large amount of work safely within tight deadlines,' says David Gordon, KiwiRail's Chief Capital Planning and Asset Development Officer. 'I'm really proud of our hard-working staff and contractors who gave up their Easter and Anzac breaks to make a big dent in the upgrade and renewal programme needed before the CRL can open. 'The Wiri to Quay Park project completion is a major mark of maturity for the Auckland rail network, keeping freight and commuters moving into the future. The Third Main Line, the newly triple-tracked section between Wiri and Westfield, provides a separate track for freight trains, meaning faster and more reliable transportation for KiwiRail's valued freight customers. 'This milestone follows the opening earlier this year of the Papakura to Pukekohe newly electrified section of the network, with a redeveloped train station at Pukekohe.' KiwiRail also would like to take the opportunity to thank our freight customers for their understanding and cooperation with the use of roads to move their goods during the two-week rail closure. The opening of the CRL next year will mean more trains on the network, doubling the number of Aucklanders who live within a 30-minute train journey to the central city and significantly cutting journey times. Ahead of this, an upgrade of priority areas, the construction and fit out of new stations, and the integration, testing and commissioning of new systems are required. This has meant closing the entire rail network at its quietest times of usage – over public, school and university holidays. More closures will occur this year over long weekends, school holidays and the 2025-26 summer to progress more upgrade and renewals works, as well as three new train stations on the Southern line. KiwiRail colleagues in the Link Alliance used the April closure to focus on completing works in the CRL tunnels and the connections to the rest of the railway. Trains are now running down the CRL tunnels as part of a rigorous testing programme – covering everything from the infrastructure and rail systems interfaces, emergency procedures and scenarios, the stations and urban realm, and some simulated stress testing. In this video, you can see a train travelling at full speed in the new 3.45km CRL tunnel in Auckland. This is described as 'line speed', which is 70kph. The video, which shows the perspective of the driver, is a rare glimpse of a train travelling in the tunnels that are 42m underground. 'We're really pleased with the amount of work achieved over the April rail closure, and seeing everything is on track for CRL's opening in 2026,' says Auckland Transport Director Public Transport and Active Modes Stacey van der Putten. 'We know every time the rail network closes it causes serious disruption for our customers, but with each day the network is closed we get a step closer to having the modern, fast, frequent and reliable rail network Aucklanders deserve. 'Following this closure we're also able to increase the frequency of trains to Pukekohe from today, with trains running to the city centre every ten minutes during peak times. 'I know it is inconvenient for people not to be able to catch the train, but AT and our partners at KiwiRail have a short time frame to deliver the necessary work to be ready in time for CRL opening. 'During the rail closure, we saw high uptake of our rail replacement buses and we're continuing to listen to customer feedback and make improvements where possible. The bus stop changes in west Auckland saw better rail bus reliability and we're currently investigating rail bus priority opportunities for future planned rail closures. 'These upgrades provide better experiences on our public transport network. Since Pukekohe Station reopened in February 2025, we're close to reaching the same amount of people using this station as in 2019, even as people continue to work from home more often. We're very pleased to see the high uptake.' Other highlights of the April rail works include: Completion of the construction of the Wiri to Quay Park (W2QP) Third Main Line, now ready for its operational readiness phase Completion of Quay Park signals commissioning, successfully concluding all W2QP signalling works Progressing the final stages of Rail Network Rebuild (RNR) focused on priority areas of the Southern Line, between Wiri and Papakura The final stages of the Middlemore Station redevelopment Ongoing work on the Western Power Feed in Glen Eden, which will add greater electricity capacity to the network in Auckland, boosting its resilience and allowing for future growth Progressing construction of new train stations at Drury Central, Paerātā and Ngakoroa in South Auckland Commissioning signalling at Quay Park Building a third platform and additional tracks at Henderson Station, as well as continuing the upgrade of the lifts as part of AT's station improvements Undertaking weather proofing maintenance at Newmarket Station Soundproofing works at Waitematā (Britomart) Station Maintenance work across Auckland, including replacing rails, turnouts, sleepers and ballast. More information about the range of rail improvement work in Auckland is available at: The Easter rail closure in stats: More than 80 sites More than 900 people 60% of Rail Network Rebuild Upgrades (RNR) delivered 24/7 RNR teams worked across about 31km of the network. Excavated and replaced more than 2.4km of foundation and upgraded a similar amount of drainage Excavated and replaced almost 13,000 tonnes of ballasted track (the rocks that the track sits on) between Wiri and Papakura.
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Scoop
Wellington Metro Trains Are Back After Easter/Anzac Upgrade
Press Release – KiwiRail Chief Planning and Asset Development Officer David Gordon says the work the team got through helps to bring further resilience to the Wellington metro. KiwiRail thanks the people of Greater Wellington and Wairarapa for being patient while they completed their work programme over the Easter/Anzac period. Today Monday 28 April, all lines are open and trains are back in service. Chief Planning and Asset Development Officer David Gordon says the work the team got through helps to bring further resilience to the Wellington metro. 'We've had several track gangs working all through the break attacking high priority maintenance jobs, that will mean long lasting, reliable services for the future.' Work has involved: Slope stabilisation at Wadestown, along with brand new track at Khandallah Station, and replacing rail in five different locations on the Johnsonville Line. Replacing turnouts at Woburn and Taita, re-laying over a kilometre of new track at Manor Park, and installing new rail on Pomare Bridge on the Hutt Valley Line. Replacing rail at Porirua and Pukerua Bay, repairing tunnel lining, and strengthening slopes along the Kapiti Line. Completing the civil works at four Wairarapa level crossings – Kent Street, Pembroke Street, Western Lake and Ngaumutawa Road. Further works in the 8.8km Remutaka Tunnel to allow trains to operate at higher speeds 'We're committed to providing a robust network for our region and cities. 'These two holiday weekends falling together, along with a recent boost in maintenance funding, gave us the opportunity to get some of these big projects under our belt. 'Our team did a terrific job and can focus now on the day-to-day upkeep programme we have in place to keep our lines in good working order, for a smooth running service. KiwiRail also would like to take the opportunity to thank passengers for their patience, and freight customers for their understanding and cooperation with the use of roads to move their goods during the two-week rail closure. 'In Wellington we have that extra challenge of steep slopes and wild weather. We have one of the oldest, and steepest rail routes in the Southern Hemisphere with our Johnsonville Line, and 8.8km makes Remutaka Tunnel the second longest in the country.' Metlink Group Manager Samantha Gain thanks passengers for their patience over the long weekend. 'We understand that these essential works can impact people's journeys over the Easter break but with fewer people travelling compared to a normal work week there's no better time for KiwiRail to carry out high priority repairs and maintenance. 'This short-term pain should contribute to better rail corridor assets and more reliable services.'
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Auckland Rail Network Reopens After Successful Upgrades
Press Release – KiwiRail 2025's second Auckland rail closure draws region closer to CRL opening Auckland rail services are back up and running as KiwiRail and its partners continue to deliver an ambitious work programme across the region including major infrastructure projects. As passenger trains return to service today, Auckland's rapidly growing Franklin community will benefit from trains running twice as often at peak times. This is possible because of the huge progress made across the rail network during the April rail closure. Teams undertook upgrade and renewal works at more than 80 sites across Auckland's rail network during the two-week closure. About 900 workers continued to deliver an ambitious programme including major infrastructure projects, as KiwiRail and Auckland Transport (AT) ready the rail network for the faster, more frequent train services the City Rail Link (CRL) will bring when it opens next year. The rail elements of the Wiri to Quay Park (W2QP) Third Main project are now complete and entering the operational readiness phase. This critical project on the Southern Line separates passenger and freight trains on the busiest parts of the Auckland network. 'Despite some appalling weather, all projects we'd planned for the 16-day shutdown are now complete after KiwiRail teams successfully managed a large amount of work safely within tight deadlines,' says David Gordon, KiwiRail's Chief Capital Planning and Asset Development Officer. 'I'm really proud of our hard-working staff and contractors who gave up their Easter and Anzac breaks to make a big dent in the upgrade and renewal programme needed before the CRL can open. 'The Wiri to Quay Park project completion is a major mark of maturity for the Auckland rail network, keeping freight and commuters moving into the future. The Third Main Line, the newly triple-tracked section between Wiri and Westfield, provides a separate track for freight trains, meaning faster and more reliable transportation for KiwiRail's valued freight customers. 'This milestone follows the opening earlier this year of the Papakura to Pukekohe newly electrified section of the network, with a redeveloped train station at Pukekohe.' KiwiRail also would like to take the opportunity to thank our freight customers for their understanding and cooperation with the use of roads to move their goods during the two-week rail closure. The opening of the CRL next year will mean more trains on the network, doubling the number of Aucklanders who live within a 30-minute train journey to the central city and significantly cutting journey times. Ahead of this, an upgrade of priority areas, the construction and fit out of new stations, and the integration, testing and commissioning of new systems are required. This has meant closing the entire rail network at its quietest times of usage – over public, school and university holidays. More closures will occur this year over long weekends, school holidays and the 2025-26 summer to progress more upgrade and renewals works, as well as three new train stations on the Southern line. KiwiRail colleagues in the Link Alliance used the April closure to focus on completing works in the CRL tunnels and the connections to the rest of the railway. Trains are now running down the CRL tunnels as part of a rigorous testing programme – covering everything from the infrastructure and rail systems interfaces, emergency procedures and scenarios, the stations and urban realm, and some simulated stress testing. In this video, you can see a train travelling at full speed in the new 3.45km CRL tunnel in Auckland. This is described as 'line speed', which is 70kph. The video, which shows the perspective of the driver, is a rare glimpse of a train travelling in the tunnels that are 42m underground. 'We're really pleased with the amount of work achieved over the April rail closure, and seeing everything is on track for CRL's opening in 2026,' says Auckland Transport Director Public Transport and Active Modes Stacey van der Putten. 'We know every time the rail network closes it causes serious disruption for our customers, but with each day the network is closed we get a step closer to having the modern, fast, frequent and reliable rail network Aucklanders deserve. 'Following this closure we're also able to increase the frequency of trains to Pukekohe from today, with trains running to the city centre every ten minutes during peak times. 'I know it is inconvenient for people not to be able to catch the train, but AT and our partners at KiwiRail have a short time frame to deliver the necessary work to be ready in time for CRL opening. 'During the rail closure, we saw high uptake of our rail replacement buses and we're continuing to listen to customer feedback and make improvements where possible. The bus stop changes in west Auckland saw better rail bus reliability and we're currently investigating rail bus priority opportunities for future planned rail closures. 'These upgrades provide better experiences on our public transport network. Since Pukekohe Station reopened in February 2025, we're close to reaching the same amount of people using this station as in 2019, even as people continue to work from home more often. We're very pleased to see the high uptake.' Other highlights of the April rail works include: Completion of the construction of the Wiri to Quay Park (W2QP) Third Main Line, now ready for its operational readiness phase Completion of Quay Park signals commissioning, successfully concluding all W2QP signalling works Progressing the final stages of Rail Network Rebuild (RNR) focused on priority areas of the Southern Line, between Wiri and Papakura The final stages of the Middlemore Station redevelopment Ongoing work on the Western Power Feed in Glen Eden, which will add greater electricity capacity to the network in Auckland, boosting its resilience and allowing for future growth Progressing construction of new train stations at Drury Central, Paerātā and Ngakoroa in South Auckland Commissioning signalling at Quay Park Building a third platform and additional tracks at Henderson Station, as well as continuing the upgrade of the lifts as part of AT's station improvements Undertaking weather proofing maintenance at Newmarket Station Soundproofing works at Waitematā (Britomart) Station Maintenance work across Auckland, including replacing rails, turnouts, sleepers and ballast. More information about the range of rail improvement work in Auckland is available at: The Easter rail closure in stats: More than 80 sites More than 900 people 60% of Rail Network Rebuild Upgrades (RNR) delivered 24/7 RNR teams worked across about 31km of the network. Excavated and replaced more than 2.4km of foundation and upgraded a similar amount of drainage Excavated and replaced almost 13,000 tonnes of ballasted track (the rocks that the track sits on) between Wiri and Papakura.
