Auckland Transport media release

10 February 2015

Record numbers use public transport for NRL Nines

The NRL Nines, held at Eden Park, was a huge success, both on the field and for public transport.

Over the two days of league matches a record 67% of the crowd (41,964) used special event buses or trains to get and from the stadium.

That is an increase of around 13% on last year’s numbers and far surpasses other events held at the park, says Auckland Transport’s operations manager for special events, Logan Christian.

Ten years ago virtually no one used public transport to get to and from major events, he says. “That all changed with the provision of special services for Rugby World Cup (2011) and other big matches, but until now we have not cracked the 60% mark.”

He says public transport patronage is usually between 50-55%.

“Clearly Nines fans got the message that buses and trains are the fastest and most hassle-free way to go.”

On the Sunday there were some train delays on the western line due to a car accident at a level crossing near New Lynn and a signalling issue at Kingsland but these were dealt with quickly by Auckland Transport’s Operations Centre (ATOC).

The next major event at Eden Park is the ICC Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Australia on February 28.

“We are hopeful that we will see even better numbers for that game and throughout the major events season of 2015”, Mr Christian says.

ENDS

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