Chris McKeen/Stuff
Two trains a day use the North Auckland Line between West Auckland and Whangārei. The rail line does not yet connect to Marsden Point where Northport is located, but Barr said rail will still be used to transport containers, with trucks moving them from Northport to loading yards at Whangārei. Most of the land for the 20km connection to Marsden Point has been bought, with $40m set aside for land buying as part of the rail project. Barr expected the connection, or spur, to Marsden Point to progress quickly. “I would be disappointed if they weren’t making a start sometime in 2022 or, more realistically, 2023.”