Kia Ora

Our thoughts are with all those in the Karangahape Road area and the wider city who have been affected by the recent flooding events. Our construction sites have also been affected with large volumes of water received underground. Over the weekend our teams worked around the clock to pump out the water, and construction activities have now resumed on site.

Support is available to the community

If you are need of help or are wanting to help those in need, here is a list of community assistance in the Auckland area.

• Auckland Emergency Management is providing regular updates on their website here.
• Auckland Council is providing updates and information on their website here here.

As always, 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 with any questions or concerns you have.
Ngā mihi,

The Karanga-a-Hape Station (Karangahape) team

Businesses, have your say on the Targeted Hardship Fund

Project sponsors have commenced a review of the Targeted Hardship Fund (THF) and would like to hear your feedback on its application and decision processes, and its eligibility and assessment criteria.

If you own a business nearby the Te Waihorotiu (Aotea), Karanga-a-Hape (Karangahape) or Maungawhau / Mount Eden Station, please read the letter from the Ministry of Transport by clicking the button below and supply your feedback to cityraillink@transport.govt.nz by 10 Feb 2023.

Please note, this is open for all businesses, including:

• Businesses that applied and received the THF
• Businesses that don’t meet the current eligibility criteria
• Businesses that considered applying for the TFH but didn’t

For any non-review related THF queries, please email c3hardship@tsamgt.com as normal, or visit www.cityraillink.co.nz/targetedhardshipfund

A celebration of love and everything messy about it on K-Road

Grab that special someone in your life, whether it’s your partner, bestie or even your family, and celebrate all forms of love at Karangahape Road’s Anti-Valentines event.

On, you guessed it, 14 February, between 6pm and 10pm, Karangahape Road will host its first street-wide celebration of all that comes with falling for ‘the one’.

Brought to you by the Karangahape Business Association (KBA) and supported by Link Alliance and Auckland Council, a mix of music, art, performances and much more will take place along Auckland’s iconic street on the day of love.

From 6pm, the Pocket Park will play host to a variety of performances; an open-mic session, a burlesque drag show and wrapping up with a cult alt-comedy night.

Head to the Anti-Valentines page on the KBA website for all the event details.

What to expect in 2023

Despite this weekend's flooding, construction at our Karanga-a-Hape sites is back into full swing after the holiday period with another big year ahead for the project. This year we will achieve the following and more:

• Completion of the Mercury Lane superstructure.
• Construction of the Beresford Square superstructure.
• Completion of the permanent concrete lining through the mined tunnels.
• Completion of the civils stage of construction across Karanga-a-Hape Station.
• Start fitting out the station buildings with electrical equipment, fire suppression equipment, ticketing and back office rooms. 
• Start of the urban realm works.

Keep an eye on our social media channels and monthly newsletters for regular updates.

Works update - mined tunnels

As you may have seen from our recently published comparison images (here and here), the tunnels at Karanga-a-Hape are really starting to take shape.

The Over Track Exhaust (OTE) in the southbound tunnel is nearing completion with the final section being poured next week.

The OTE forms part of the Tunnel Ventilation System (TVS) and has three primary functions:

• To extract waste heat from trains and provide regular air extraction/circulation ('normal mode of operation')
• To extract hot air from the tunnel system produced by the trains when they come to a halt inside a tunnel ('congested mode')
• To extract hot smoke out to the atmosphere during a train fire or station fire, allowing people to evacuate the station safely ('emergency mode').

The OTE slab can be seen curing (a process of keeping the required moisture, temperature, and time to allow the concrete to set successfully) in the southbound tunnel below. The slab will provide a horizontal roof to the station platform.

Work on the OTE in the northbound tunnel is ongoing with the formwork visible in the image below.

Installation of drainage and service conduits continues in the tunnels. In the two photos below, you can see the service conduits laid out within the platform tunnels, and in the following image the concrete curing over them. Once cured, this will be the platform for the station where passengers will board the trains.

The final section of the permanent secondary concrete lining in the southbound tunnel is now complete, with the image below showing the last of the moving formwork being dismantled and removed.

Finally, the photo below shows where the northbound tunnel and the Mercury Lane station box intersect (bottom right), where passengers will come through into the tunnel from the station box. To the left, service room walls continue to be built.

Listen to stories from the K-Road community

The K’Road Chronicle has been a voice for the street's and central city's homeless community for a number of years. Now, the Chronicle is going digital with local journalist and homeless advocate, Six, kicking off a podcast.

Six is the founder of the Chronicle and someone we have recently worked with to produce secure storage for our homeless community.

You can listen to the first three episodes of The K’Road Chronicle Podcast online which features interviews with members of the local community, from different walks of life, who talk about their life experiences and how they’re trying to help those in the area.

Works update - Mercury Lane

As you can see in the image below, we've made great progress on the station building above ground in Mercury Lane. Meanwhile, below ground continues to be a hive of activity.

Below is the view from B2 looking west, ​showing the completed B4 slab, and 'stadium' columns in the centre of the picture with steel fixing underway.

You can also see the connecting reinforced columns in the below photo from B4.

With the completion of a number of the permanent columns, the temporary 'plunge columns' can be removed. These columns provide support while new floors are being constructed using the top-down construction techniques. The the first of these temporary columns were removed last week.

A Febulous First Thursdays - postponed until 9 February 2023

First Thursdays returns in 2023 but due to the current weather warning it returns on Thursday 9 February rather than 2 February as advertised.

However when it does return, as hopefully will the sun, an amazing line up of music, crafts and entertainment can be expected. 

As usual live music will begin from 4:30pm at the Pocket Park, colourful craft stalls will align Beresford Square as well as a variety of entertainment along Karangahape Road.

Pocket Park line up:

4:30pm — Amine Ramer
6pm — Goodspace
7pm — Wahine Jazz
8pm — Little Bok Choy, until 9pm

Check out the First Thursday Facebook page for information on all of the events and entertainment along Karangahape Road for the evening.

Works update - Beresford Square

At Beresford Square walls continue to be constructed on all levels as the station entrance building takes shape. The majority of these walls will go unseen by the travelling public as they will form rooms for back-of-house equipment, scheduled to be installed later in the year.

The photo below shows the view from B7, the lowest floor of the station box, into the Adit 4 archway. Beneath the archway is where the main escalator will land and where passengers will walk through to reach the station's platforms.

The images below show how the floor levels evolve as ducting and services are installed. The drainage and service conduits have now been laid in Adit 4 with the slab poured around them, showing the final platform level for the station. 

On the upper levels in the Beresford Square entrance for the station, work on the escalator slab continues in preparation for its arrival in the coming months. The escalator - the longest in the country - will be lifted into position from the crane in Beresford Square, which is something to keep an eye out for!

The image above shows the launch point for the 40-metre escalator on B2, stretching down to platform level with Adit 4 (the archway in the centre of the picture) in the distance.  Adit 4 is a short tunnel that will take commuters through to the station's platforms.

Finally, the image above shows the temporary deck at surface level (L0). The deck will be removed in February to allow for more space to drop in all the materials needed for the station box fit out works.

Meet…Nathalia Fuertes, Site Administrator mined tunnels

What does your job at the Link Alliance entail?
As Site Administrator, my job is to make sure that my site runs as smoothly as possible. Taking care of the office stockage, catering for our milestones/events, and also make sure that our team gets paid on time and correctly.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Colombia. Famously known for producing the finest coffee in the world.

Where were you working prior to this?
I was working at Geotechnics Ltd as a receptionist.

What do you do when you are not working?
Drawing, journaling, watching documentaries and on a good sunny day going to the beach.

Any fun facts about yourself you want to share?

• I was always the tallest one in my class.
• I cried when I went to Queenstown because it was too beautiful. I couldn’t believe it.
• Very often I dream that zombies are chasing me.

What are we up to behind our artistic hoarding?

How much do you know about the works going on at our Karanga-a-Hape Station construction sites? Why not come along for our first public tour of 2023 and find out more!

Taking place Thursday 16 February, 3-4pm the tour gives you a chance to walk around our sites at Beresford Square and Mercury Lane while finding out about how our work is progressing, both at ground level and beneath Karangahape Road.

Head over to Eventbrite to lock in your spot on this month’s tour.

Would you like to use the Pocket Park?

The brightly coloured stage on the corner of Pitt Street and Karangahape Road has played host to several wonderful musical performances. However, that’s not its only use.

It is very much a public performing space that is open for anyone to use – be it to give your garage band an outdoor venue or simply to show off some juggling tricks.

There is even a power source available to use, all free of charge. Simply email karanghape@linkalliance.co.nz to book a slot or call 0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) and press option 4.