Christchurch Northern Line Cycleway
The Christchurch Northern Line Cycleway is a long shared pedestrian and cycle path following the Main North railway in Christchurch. The route currently extends from Kilmarnock Street in the south, through Fendalton and Papanui to Northwood and Belfast in the north.
Route
Existing path
The path follows the route of the Main North Line, which is operational. It is essentially flat, varying in width from wide to wide depending on the available corridor. A description of the route can be found in a Christchurch City Council publication.Despite its commonly used name, the pathway is a shared pedestrian/cycle facility. It connects a number of schools and local shopping centres and provides an off-road commuter connection from the northern suburbs to Riccarton and the central city.
Intersection control
The core section of the pathway was constructed in the late 1990s / early 2000s. Of the five road crossings, three were considered to require traffic signal control. One of the crossing points has since been retrofitted with traffic signals. The 2010 extension to Tuckers Road also included the creation of a signalised crossing at Northcote Road.The signalised crossings feature bicycle detectors on the pathway well in advance of the intersections, so that riders receive a green signal as they arrive at the crossings.
Beginning in 2024, KiwiRail began upgrading the crossings at Harewood, Langdons and Sawyers Arms Roads to introduce automatic safety gates where paths cross the rail tracks.
Path extensions
In 2024 a northern extension to the cycleway opened, continuing from Tuckers Road in Redwood north to connect with Main North Road south of Northwood.South, there are plans in the next decade to continue the pathway along the railway line through Riccarton across Riccarton Road and on to Blenheim Road and the Christchurch railway station. Longer-term, the current city transport strategic plan envisages linking this corridor with others along the railway lines to the west and southeast.