Stage 1 - Wellesley St Bus Improvements

01 October 2021 - 30 April 2026

City Centre
Complete
Urban regeneration
Sustainability

With the opening of Te Waihorotiu Station, Wellesley Street becomes a key transport hub, connecting high-frequency buses, trains, walking and cycling routes.

This project is part of Auckland Council's plan to create a safer, greener, and better-connected city centre for everyone.

Auckland Transport has upgraded Wellesley Street to prioritise public transport, pedestrians, and cycling - making it easier to move around midtown. The improvements make Wellesley Street a vital transport corridor and a more inviting public space.

This work includes:

New bus shelters and wider footpaths
Improved pedestrian crossings and loading zone
New paving, seating, and street lighting
Amenities in public spaces around the new station.

These improvements are for the full length of Wellesley Street between Victoria Park and Grafton Gully, and will make connecting to the Learning Quarter, Te Waihorotiu Station, the New Zealand International Convention Centre and Victoria Quarter much easier.

20260420 Wellesley Street Bus Exchange 9148

With thousands of people set to enter and exit Te Waihorotiu Station each day, this area needs to be a safe, efficient, and welcoming space for everyone -whether they're walking, taking public transport, or spending time in the area.

The City Centre Masterplan 2020 identifies Wellesley Street as a key east-west bus route. The street connects the Learning Quarter, Queen St valley, the Aotea arts precinct and the Victoria Quarter, making it a critical part of Auckland's transport network.

Improved connections to and through midtown support the economic and cultural life of this city centre precinct.

Design features

The following features are included in the design for Wellesley Street:

Buses

High-quality bus stops, making it easier to get on and off a bus and more attractive places to wait for a bus. They are positioned to give people walking down the street more room.
Continuous kerbside bus lanes along the entire length of Wellesley Street, from Victoria Street to Princes Street (2.2 kms). This enables Auckland Transport to provide faster and more frequent services as per the City Centre Bus Plan, which improves bus journey times and reliability.
A Victoria Park turnaround and Beaumont Street layover are proposed to support the operational requirements for Wellesley Street buses.

Walking, cycling and micro-mobility (scooters)

A more pleasant and safe experience for people walking along Wellesley Street with wider footpaths, fewer obstructions, smoother surfaces, and raised safety platforms for people to use when crossing side streets.
A new separated cycleway facility extending from Queen Street to Princes Street is proposed in stage 3. This will address a critical missing link in the city centre cycle network, especially for staff and students going to and from the universities.
Improvements to the road layout to increase space for pedestrians and reduce street crossing distances.

Improvements to the surrounding environment

In stages 2 and 3, the street will be made more pleasant with street greening and planting.
We're also planning a complete road reconstruction along Wellesley Street. This will look great but even more importantly, will support our bus fleet as we move to more sustainable, but heavier, electric buses.

20260420 Wellesley Street Bus Exchange 9178

Stage 2 Proposals

Approximately 1,300 buses currently travel along Wellesley Street every day, including 120 to 140 buses per hour during peak times.

That number is expected to increase to more than 2,200 buses per day by 2032 including 200 buses per hour during peak.

We’re proposing changes to Wellesley and Beaumont Streets to enhance bus and train integration and provide for large numbers of buses and pedestrians.

We are proposing to:

Introduce one bus lane in each direction along Wellesley Street between Albert Street and Victoria Park to improve journey times
Have one general traffic lane in each direction
Consolidate the bus stops and install new bus shelters along Wellesley Street for a better customer experience
Change the road layout at the bottom of Wellesley Street to make bus trips faster and more reliable and to improve safety
Extend the bus layover on Beaumont Street and install a signalised pedestrian crossing to make it safer to get to and from Victoria Park
Remove the right-hand turn from Wellesley Street into Federal Street South to improve safety and network efficiency.