Transport Minister Simeon Brown has confirmed Auckland's train system will close for up to 96 days through to the end of January 2026, as work continues on the City Rail Link.

He announced the plan alongside acting Auckland mayor Desley Simpson at Mt Eden Railway station on Friday morning.

The first major closure will go from December 27 until January 28.

Another long outage is planned from April 12 to April 22, around Easter.

Trains will also run at reduced capacity for large parts of the rest of the year. In total there are up to 96 days of full closures and 53 days of partial closures planned.

Some $200 million was being invested through the Budget to get the rail network completed on time, he said, and while the closures would have a significant impact on passengers and freight, it would help Auckland realise the full benefits of the CRL.

"To ensure the success of the City Rail Link, the Rail Network Rebuild needs to be completed ahead of the CRL opening to ensure Aucklanders can benefit from increased train services and improved reliability.

He said the exact date of the opening was yet to be confirmed but the fitout was well under way. Commissioning of the trains was a critical element as well.

"The work KiwiRail will carry out includes replacing aging track foundations, including in the busiest part of the network in South Auckland; making the network more resilient to weather by improving drainage and culverts; replacing worn rail and sleepers, improvements to bridges and a tunnel, and upgrades to critical track infrastructure, signals and power supplies."

He said it would be "one last push" to get the CRL completed.

Simpson said the disruption was an unavoidable necessity - but Kiwirail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail had focused on extending existing closures during public and school holidays.

"Full closures are cost effective, reducing delivery costs by 30 percent, and are necessary for large scale work. They also give greater clarity to commuters on whether a line is open or closed.

"It is our expectation that KiwiRail and Auckland Transport will continue to work at pace on these upgrades, minimise disruption to commuters where possible, and communicate effectively and in advance about available alternatives."

This story was originally posted by RNZ News