Trains will be on the rails across Auckland over the next two days, but passengers can't board them as the network shuts for trials of new City Rail Link timetables.
It comes as most workers are back in the office and schools return. The disruption follows a month of maintenance closures on the rails over the holidays.
For the first time, 84 trains - the most ever run simultaneously across Auckland's metro network - are being tested through the City Rail Link underground tunnels and across all lines to trial a new higher-frequency timetable.
Speaking to Breakfast on Tuesday morning, Auckland Transport (AT) rail services group manager Mark Lambert said there had been no major hiccups — yet.
"We had a bit of congestion on the network, because we're increasing the number of services, so we'll look at how we can improve that tomorrow," he said.
"One train had a minor issue, but apart from that, no, we haven't seen anything major so far, but it is a trial."
Transport officials have been warning for days that rail replacement buses would have "limited" capacity, and urged passengers to plan their travel ahead of time.
Lambert said around 15,000 passengers would be affected by the disruption.
"We don't like doing this, and we just ask you to bear with us as we do this trial, which will hopefully remove any problems for when we do actually open the City Rail Link."
Asked why the testing couldn't be done on a weekend, he said there were staffing requirements for the test along with wanting to have real-world freight rail conditions.
While passengers won't be able to board the services, digital screens and voice announcements at stations were being tested.
AT group manager of metro services Stacey van der Putten said the real-world testing was essential despite years of planning and computer modelling.
"Seeing it put into practice will be extremely exciting and a little nerve-wracking."
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The closure, which began today after Auckland Anniversary weekend, requires more than 280 people to simulate two full days of operation, including peak and off-peak services and how AT trains will operate alongside KiwiRail freight trains.
Van der Putten said all train services on the timetable were changing to new routes when the CRL opened, with most passing through the new tunnels.
"We've talked about 16,000 tests in total, and this is one of the biggest to make sure we can reliably run the new timetable with more trains, more often".
The testing also includes customer information systems, with trains' digital signs showing new line names - East-West (E-W), South-City (S-C) and Onehunga West (O-W).
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Rail replacement buses are running but AT has warned they will be very busy.
"Capacity is limited, and we know many people are returning to work and school on these days. This means rail buses will be full," van der Putten said.
Bus services are running at 10-minute frequency for the Southern, Eastern, and Western Lines during peak periods.
KiwiRail is monitoring the testing from the Auckland Rail Operations Centre with rapid-response staff stationed at key locations.
The agency has flagged further closures throughout the year, including full network shutdowns during Waitangi Day weekend, Easter, Anzac Day and another testing day on March 22. More CRL-related testing is expected later in the year.
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