With Eden Park set to host tomorrow’s opening match and an additional eight matches for the upcoming 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, residents, fans, and drivers are urged to think about how the event may affect their travel plans in and out of Auckland.
Jacqui Hori-Hoult, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency regional manager for maintenance and operations Auckland and Northland says major sporting events bring a lot of fans into Auckland’s CBD and neighbouring suburbs.
“We’re expecting more people driving into the city from out of town to catch the action,” says Hori-Hoult.
“It’ll mean more traffic on the roads and a greater chance of queues and traffic congestion. This is not unusual; we commonly see it when the city is hosting big events.”
However, she says with nine matches between July 20 and August 15, and four of them on weekdays, there is more potential for the extra traffic to coincide with rush hour and peak travel times.
“We don’t want fans to miss the matches, nor do we want people who work in the city to get caught out either. It is important people factor the World Cup into how they get around. If you are travelling to watch a match, make sure you allow yourself enough time to get to the stadium for kick-off,” Hori-Hoult says.
“For commuters, be aware of the match times and don’t be surprised if the extra traffic means your journey home takes a little longer than normal. If you can adjust your work and commuting times, it is worth considering.”
Travel on all Auckland Transport [AT] buses and trains in the hours leading up to World Cup games is included with match tickets. AT is also putting on a range of special event buses from the city centre, North Shore and east Auckland.
For the latest information about public transport options to Eden Park, check the AT website before you travel – www.at.govt.nz/events.
A full list of the Auckland 2023 FIFA World Cup matches are shown here. Fans and commuters are urged to note the times and plan their travel appropriately.
