Goodbye Waterloo station subway, hello new bridge?

Thursday, 21 August 2025

A redeveloped Waterloo Station could have the subway replaced and canopy with a new bridge.

Waterloo station’s failing central canopy could go and a bridge could replace its subway as part of plans to overhaul the station.

Officials concluded last year that the 37-year-old station, a central hub for rail and bus services in the Hutt Valley, was in poor condition. It was poorly lit, its tiles were slippery, it provided passengers with minimal protection from the weather and was not connected with local bus routes.

Rebuilding the station could also open up commercial opportunities like apartments, a medical hub, childcare facilities or a supermarket.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council voted on Thursday to adopt a design reference for any business case to rebuild the station.

The new proposed bridge, fitted with lifts, would link Cambridge Terrace and Oxford Terrace above the rail lines, backed by a new pedestrian crossing on Cambridge Terrace for people walking from Trafalgar Square.

Other changes included aligning the station’s southbound Platform 2 with the northbound Platform 1, and upgrading the latter which was uneven because of subsidence and the Kaikōura earthquake.

A medical hub, cafes, apartments and a supermarket are just some of the possibilities being touted for a proposed Waterloo transport hub.

It meant the station’s deteriorating subway, with its peeling wall tiles and leaks running through a section wall near the electrical switchboard, would be closed. Its corroding central canopy would make way for separate roofs for each platform, after a conservative estimate of its maintenance bill for the next decade totalled $4.5 million.

Daran Ponter, the regional council’s chairperson, said those changes were required: “It’s the sort of treatment that we really probably require through much of the network.” The project would be modelled on newer Auckland stations like New Lynn or Puhinui, which were open to light, had easier access and where passengers would feel safer, he said.

A 160-page feasibility study was whittled down from an original list of 22 options to five for councillors to choose from at the Thursday council meeting, abandoning options like reconfiguring the station to a standalone island platform.

It needed to consider how the options would work with key water infrastructure, the neighbouring Waterloo water treatment plant and the underground Waiwhetū Aquifer, a key drinking water source for the entire region.

Although it made the shortlist, officials were against having a longer bridge that would reach Trafalgar Square.

They also did not recommend plans to upgrade the ageing subway because it was leaking and its location close to the Waiwhetū Aquifer made any work difficult and unfeasible.

Its peeling tiles were a sign of material and moisture issues, said papers submitted to Thursday’s council meeting.

The bridge would connect Cambridge Terrace and Oxford Terrace above the rail lines, backed by a new pedestrian crossing at Cambridge Terrace for those walking from Trafalgar Square.

“Recent testing work through the project highlighted the volatility of ground conditions around the underpass,” they said. “Strengthening the structure to improve its resilience may be complex and extremely costly, especially as the underpass needs to remain operational throughout any works.”

Thursday’s papers did not estimate costs for the entire development but said investment options, including public-private partnerships, would be brought for the new council’s consideration in 2026. The council had reserved $110m for the development in its long-term plan.

Ponter said demolishing Waterloo’s canopy and building the bridge were the priority, and it would be the first of many Hutt Valley train stations to be renovated. He also hoped to put an investment plan to the Government on bringing more stations “into the 21st century”.

“Stations on the Hutt Valley Line are getting close to 100 years old,” he said. “They were probably quite avant-garde for their times, but these days they smell of urine, they’re poorly lit and they’re not really conducive to modern commuting.”

Regional councillor Quentin Duthie believed a new bridge was the best idea for redeveloping Waterloo station given the state of the subway and the sensitivity of the Waiwhetū Aquifer.

“That makes it easy for people to walk back and forwards and access the different amenities there,” he said.