This is the core SM route, providing rapid transport (20 minutes total trip time) across the city from Wellington Station to the eastern suburbs and Wellington Airport, and including a clockwise City Loop (purple) that would serve each of its (possibly 8) stations every 5 minutes. Possible stations are marked with a BLUE dot and a number, referring to details below. Only 4 track switch-points are envisaged marked with a RED dot, two (between Station 15 and 16) controlling a short single-track segment passing at ground level below the airport’s northern threshhold.

City Loop would be a 1-way clockwise track. Stations envisaged are:

#1: a Wellington Monorail station above the Wellington Railway Station platforms
(i.e. behind the railway building), allowing pedestrian access from Stadium events, as well as escalator and lift access from the railway platforms.

#2:  Wellington Museum & main waterfront features

#3: Te Papa, Museum of NZ;

#4: Embassy Theatre, Eastern end of Courtenay Place;

#5: Taranaki Street station would be a junction station at the intersection with Courtenay Place. Two track switches would allow some cars to connect to the Eastern Line (9 stops, #10 - 18); and others to continue on the City Loop (4 more stops, #6 - #1)

#6: Willis Street station (intersection of Willis & Manners St)

#7: Old Bank station;

#8: Stout Street station (corner of Lambton Quay/Stout St).

The final stretch would avoid Parliament Buildings by turning down Stout Street before turning right behind the railway station to the #1 Central SM station.

Eastern Line would begin from #5 Taranaki Street/Courtney Place station, which might have 2-way SM tracks for most of the route to the Eastern Suburbs; though it would be more cost-effective to be largely single-track, while opening to dual passing tracks at each station - as withe the Shonan system in Japan.

 #10: War Memorial station. This would be the first Eastern Line station.

#11: College station; would serve Wellington College, Polytechnic & Massey University;

#12: Wellington Regional Hospital (and having covered access to 1^st floor of the main hospital building);

#13: Newtown station; at Constable Street, would serve Newtown shops;

From Newtown the track would easily negotiate the slope of Constable Street, then curve downwards to join Wellington Road.

#14: Kilbirnie Oval station: at  Wellington Rd traffic lights would serve the sports grounds; and provide valuable service for the annual Round the Bays Run;

The line would continue towards the traffic lights at the start of Cobham Drive, but before these lights would swing to the right down Evans Bay Parade towards the Kilbirnie Bus Hub.

#15: Kilbirnie station; Here an SM station would provide shelter for bus passengers below, as well as pedestrian over-bridges (perhaps escalators) for the intermittent high density of pedestrian traffic at that intersection.

The track would continue above the centre island of Rongotai Rd towards the fire station, then swing left to pass over the Cobham Drive roundabout.

#16: Cobham Drive station would be combined with pedestrian/cyclist over-bridges. This station and the over-bridges would thus serve those going to the indoor sports arena, those using the  monorail, as well as solving the problem of pedestrians needing to cross Cobham Drive.

Because the next run of track would cross below the North end of Wellington Airport runway, it would need to descend almost to ground level and for a short stretch would be alternately one-way (shown in purple), rising to normal heights again on the other side of the runway threshold, and curling round to negotiate the Miramar Cutting, after which the track would once more become 2-way (blue).

#17: Miramar station; would serve shops, Roxy cinema and nearby movie studios.

This 2-way track would then curve southwards and head towards Wellington Airport where it would terminate.

#18: Wellington Airport Monorail station. This terminus would have a short loop turning cars to face back towards the city.