Kia Ora

Our teams across Karanga-a-Hape Station are well and truly back into the hard mahi for 2025 and more milestones have been achieved this month, including the first test train passing through the station!

The 3.45-kilometre-long inaugural journey ran south from Waitematā Station (Britomart) under central Auckland past the new underground stations at Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape to Maungawhau Station.

The three-carriage train took two-and-a-half hours to complete its first journey. The speed was deliberately slow – around five kilometres an hour – allowing technicians to complete their first round of underground checks and balances relating to tunnel clearance, power supply and signalling. The train successfully completed five trips during the night.

Check out the test train's journey in the video below.

If you have any questions or concerns about our works at Karanga-a-Hape Station, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email at karangahape@linkalliance.co.nz or call us on 0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) and press option 4.

Ngā mihi,
The Karanga-a-Hape Station team

Works update - Beresford Square

February saw excellent progress across the site, with noticeable changes above ground at Beresford Square, including the installation of the station’s large name sign.

The aluminium sign, measuring 6.8 metres long and weighing 80kg, will sit proudly above the entrance as passengers pass underneath to ride the first set of triple escalators or take the adjacent lift to the ticketing level two floors below.

Other above-ground progress in February includes paving works around the square. The team completed work with the heavier 80kg tiles on the southern side as they paved the vehicle entrance to the Theta building. Paving works are now approximately 65% complete in Beresford Square.

Once the pavers are positioned using a laser level, they must be sealed. The image above shows the team installing a PEF (Polyethylene Foam) rod, a foam product used as a backer to fill gaps before applying the silicone sealant.

Beneath the square, scaffolding is being removed, revealing more station details. The image below shows the clearest view yet of the 40-metre escalator at the Beresford entrance, where you can see from the second underground level all the way to the platform level.

Other highlights at Beresford Square include the completion of tunnel ventilation system testing and work in the canopy soffit of the entrance building.

Works update - Mercury Lane

The image below shows the ongoing installation of architectural battens in the ceiling, in this case above the escalators that take passengers from the second underground level to the third underground level. These ‘wooden’ battens are, in fact, aluminium and are repeated throughout the CRL stations, creating a sense of material connection between the different station designs.

As at Beresford Square, sections of scaffolding have been removed at Karanga-a-Hape Station’s Mercury Lane entrance, revealing some of the final finishes that have been hidden until now.

Since their installation in August last year, the lift shaft glazing panels have been concealed behind scaffolding and protective sheeting. Now, they make an impressive sight when descending to platform level.

The images below show the lift shaft from two levels below street level, with the second set of triple escalators passing the glazed shaft. A total of 27 panes were installed, stretching from platform level to the tip of the 31-metre-high elevator shaft above the Mercury Lane entrance. Each pane weighs a substantial 250kg and required a vacuum lifter for safe installation.

Other highlights at the Mercury Lane entrance include the completion of tunnel ventilation testing and the installation of wall cladding from street level to the first underground level.

Works update - Platform Tunnels

Work in the tunnels has again focused on the cross passages. The image below shows the cross passage at the bottom of the Beresford Square entrance, with access to the escalators on the left. Many of the battens at this junction are curved and of varying lengths. When combined with very tight tolerance levels, this makes installation quite intricate.

At the landing area of the 40-metre escalator, the team has now installed two rows of GRC (glass-reinforced concrete) panels, which will connect to the ceiling battens. The top of the lift (above, in red) can be seen on the right of the picture, providing a good reference point when comparing it to the render below.

Also in the cross passage—behind the walls on the left—the team has been testing the fibre connections that link the tunnel communication rooms to the station.

On the tunnel platforms, work has progressed on installing the LED up-lights, which run the length of the platforms in a small gutter of the shiny aluminium panels (known as the technical band) above the GRC panels, as seen in the image above. The uplights are complemented by downlights, which can be seen between the ceiling battens.

Other work on the platforms includes installing the bracketry for the poster case signage —the gaps visible between the panels.

Meet Mary Susu

What does your job at the Link Alliance entail?

I am a gates woman on Beresford Square. I make sure every person that enters our gates is wearing full PPE gear. That is everyone from management, staff and visitors. They also have to provide their site ID cards, I also chip in with works required on site and help out when I can.

I am New Zealand born with an ethnic background of Fijian and Cook Island culture but I grew up in Auckland.

My longest job prior to this role was working for Air New Zealand for 10 years up until 2021.

I am a mother of 5 and a grandmother of 2, with a third grandchild expected in April.

My husband and I are a part of a massive whānau. Fijian culture and our whānau doesn’t just include my husband and I along with our children. We are a part of a wider family both in Auckland but also connecting back to Fiji. In short, it means every weekend is a busy one but when we are not busy, we take time to appreciate what we have and to rest.

I love to talk about food and enjoy joking and laughing with family and friends.

Enjoy a bit of March madness on Cross Street

It's time to put on your dancing shoes and head down to Cross Street for an action-packed musical line up.

Cross Street Music Festival is back on Saturday 8 March, 5pm - 12am to bring the street to life with a huge cast of kiwi acts.

Head to the festival website to check out who's performing and to lock in your tickets for this epic street party.

Jargon buster – PEF (Polyethylene Foam) Rod

PEF Rod is a foam product used as a backer to fill gaps before applying the silicone sealant. Most recently, the team has been using PEF Rod (the white string-like product in the image below) during paver installation works around Beresford Square.