Kia ora,

It has been full steam ahead this month for Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station, with the team celebrating the completion of the Basque Park pipe diversion works, as well as the permanent closure of the Porters Avenue level crossing. 

While we await our Dame Whina Cooper Tunnel Boring Machine’s (TBM) last break through at Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea), the team are preparing for the Branch Out, Spring in Uptown festival in association with the Uptown Business Association.  

Finally, we have had our first indications from the New Zealand Geographic Board regarding revised station names. Read on for your opportunity to give feedback about the proposed names. 

If you have any questions about our work activities, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at mteden@linkalliance.co.nz or 0800 CRL TALK press 5 for Maungawhau / Mount Eden Station. You can also follow Link Alliance’s progress by clicking the social media buttons below:   

Ngā mihi,    

The Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station team 

Tunnelling update

Dame Whina Cooper TBM is now on the final leg of its journey from Karanga-a-Hape Station to Te Waihorotiu Station in midtown, as it constructs the second City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel. 

As this journey progresses, our mined tunnelling team are working underground to complete the waterproof lining in both CRL tunnels.  

Supporting activity for tunnelling operations continues, including the permanent overland conveyor belt operating 24/7 to transport excavated spoilt out of the tunnel and onto site. This means that truck movements to and from Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station remain steady as spoil trucks collect and transport this material off site, and the concrete tunnel lining segments are delivered. Trucks access our station site between 7am – 10pm Monday to Saturday.  

These truck movements will continue until the TBM reaches Te Waihorotiu Station in early spring, after which trucks supporting TBM operations will no longer be required and truck movements on New North Road and Ngahura Street will decrease substantially.  

The TBM is expected to reach Te Waihorotiu Station in early Spring and you can follow the progress with weekly updates at www.digcrl.co.nz.

Paving the way for sustainable infrastructure

The gold standard for delivering sustainable infrastructure is to reuse materials generated from construction, reduce carbon emissions and source locally – saving on transporting costs and contributing to the local economy.  

Well, Link Alliance is achieving just that in our latest initiative - to reuse the raw basalt rock excavated from our construction works to make the paving stones for the permanent streetscapes, to be installed right next to where the rock is being removed.  

It is a big win for sustainability as the pavers were originally to be sourced from overseas. The initiative was formulated from an idea and then made a reality through collaboration with a local workshop located in Dairy Flat, Auckland. Once we had a potential supplier to make the paving stones locally, we had to make sure we had enough basalt from the site to supply the initiative, weigh up the costs and benefits, and make sure they could be delivered on time for the street works, starting September. The majority of paving stones mined from the area of Fenton Street will be used on Fenton Street in the permanent streetscaping.  

Using basalt taken from site for urban realm is also a way to respect  history and whenua (land) and creates connection by returning the excavated material only meters away from where it was taken. This is setting a new bar for construction reuse - you could even say it’s ‘paving the way’ for delivery of meaningful and sustainable infrastructure in New Zealand. 

Basalt rock is a significant geological feature of the Mount Eden area. It came from an eruption of Maungawhau approximately 15,000 years ago, shaping the landscape of the area. Basalt is part of a common story told through our infrastructure to honour this history and is also represented in the design on the Porters Avenue Bridge, the station building, and now weaved through the streets we will be walking on. 

Station architectural design elements

Last month we shared how CRL’s design reflects the Māori creation story of Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (the earth mother). This month, we find out more about how the station buildings share this central kōrero through their architecture.   

Four separate station design elements combine to tell the story...  

Earth Element – representing Papatūānuku. At Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape Stations the earth element is represented by precast panels, the colour and texture of which mirrors Waitematā sandstone. At Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station the earth element is represented by basalt panels, in reference to the basalt of the local area.    

Sky Element – representing Ranginui and is depicted by the upper facade treatment. It is a hard working permeable, breathable, skin which responds to the functional and technical requirements of the station. The orientation of the sky element shingles, allows for air intake and exhaust for the louvres sitting behind.  The sky elements at Te Waihorotiu and Maungawhau/Mount Eden Stations are different interpretations of ‘the tears of Ranginui’. The Mercury Lane sky element is an expression of  Te Ika-whenua-o-te-rangi, the Milky Way constellation.   

Threshold Elements – these are unique to each station and represents an aspect and narrative relating to each station’s Māori deity (atua), or god. The threshold is the physical point between the outside streetscape, and inside the station. We’ll share more about this aspect of station design in upcoming newsletters.   

Fourth Element – represents Te Whaiao (the daylight or glimmer of dawn). It is a transitional element, providing layering, solidity and reflectivity to connect the earth element with the sky. A physical reminder of the act of Tāne Mahuta pushing apart his parents, Ranginui and Papatūānuku.  

Next month we’ll share more about each station’s threshold element, that will welcome passengers to CRL’s world-class stations.   

The rubbish story you have "wheelie bin" waiting for 

During the recent Block of Line (BOL), Link Alliance partnered with St Peter’s College and KiwiRail to venture onto the rail tracks for a rail clean-up activation. Spoiler alert, it was a huge success!  

A Block of Line is a period when no trains are running on the rail network, allowing for track maintenance and construction to take place. This became a great opportunity for a small group of curious students at St Peter’s College to learn more about the sustainability targets and initiatives on New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project. The team were able to raise community awareness about safety in the rail corridor, and also protect and restore the local environment by recycling and disposing waste. 

A Saturday morning of hard mahi using coffee bean sacks from our local kawhe shop Delissimo, resulted in sorting and recycling over 200kg of litter from a 600m section of the rail corridor around Grafton Station. It was a privilege to facilitate this event for the students and it was great to see them volunteer to care for their local environment and community.  
 
“Many thanks to the Link Alliance for all their hard work putting together this opportunity for our young men. I certainly think they gained a greater appreciation of the effort that goes into making sure that something many of them use every day keeps working.” 

- Andrew Brown: Science Teacher and Teacher i/c Sustainability at St Peter’s College 

Doggone it the work is done! 

And that’s a wrap on Basque Bark! Link Alliance’s first completed project in the Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station area was a call for not one, but two celebrations. 

Over the weekend the Basque Park community came out to celebrate the return of the park at a community paw-pup event. Our local neighbours and their furry loved ones joined the Link Alliance team for morning kawhe and kai. Community members old and young, and arborists from Tree Scape then grabbed shovels to take part in Auckland Council’s tree planting initiative. It was great to see our teams and the community working together to plant three Nikau Palm trees on the hill of the park.   

Prior to celebrating with the community, Mana Whenua representatives from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei led karakia to uplift the rāhui (temporary prohibition/closure) imposed by our construction at Basque Park. Our Alliance Project Director shared a mihi (formal speech) acknowledging the team’s hard mahi finishing these works two months ahead of the expected completion date. 

Branch Out - Uptown Spring Festival 

The Link Alliance and Uptown Business Association are celebrating Spring, proudly bringing you a day of Branching Out in Uptown. Come and explore the many offerings of this fun part of town. 

There will be music, games and good times for the whole family, 

Don’t be a stump!  Put Spring in your step!  Branch Out! Come out and try new things and yummy foods on a wonderful Saturday in Uptown.  

Find out more information here! 

Upcoming Block of Line weekend: 16th to 19th September 

To continue momentum on the project and to undertake work near the rail corridor, a Block of Line (BOL) will take place from 16th -19th September. Work will start from Friday 16th September at 11:00pm and take place over nights and throughout the weekend until Monday 19th August at 4am. No trains will be running on the rail network during this time.  

The majority of the work this BOL is taking place in the eastern end of the site; however, work will take place along the rail corridor between Khyber Pass Road and Dominion Road. The work will include track building, construction of overhead lines, retaining wall construction, safety screen installations and hording removals. As some of the construction activities will take place immediately adjacent to, or on the track, it is safest for our teams to do this while trains are not running.   

Check out the construction calendar for the latest updates about out-of-regular hours or extraordinary work, or the website notifications page for updates on the ongoing work programme.   

SIBD highlights

The Social Impact and Business Disruption (SIBD) delivery work plan is a part of Link Alliance environment controls that ensure potential social impacts of construction are mitigated and managed. Each year the SIBD is reviewed and stations are measured against the mitigations outlined in the plan. At our Community Liaison Group (CLG) meeting on Wednesday, July 27, participants were presented with a report about how Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station work is measuring up to the SIBD work plan.  

Here are some of the highlights: 

In response to feedback received in 2019/20, Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station have responded to requests for detailed, localised information about construction with: 

• Early engagement prior to any noisy or disruptive works  

• A range of engagement tools including notices, newsletters, CLG meetings and social media 

• A new QR tool which links stakeholders to an online construction calendar showing current and planned works 

Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station have responded to requests for alternative parking solutions for Link Alliance workers with: 

• A month-long worker competition rewarding use of public transport, car-pooling and active transport modes 

• The provision of free shuttle buses for workers, operating from multiple parts of the city with the addition of more as uptake occurs 

• Auckland Transport ‘Give it a go’ scheme for all workers to try public transport (180 workers signed up) 

• Regular toolbox talks about alternative transport and parking 

Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station have responded to requests to ensure CLG is representative of community: 

• In March 2022, the CLG advertised for new members to join including residents, local community group representatives, and businesses in the Mt Eden construction site area.  

Have your Say

Two opportunities currently exist to provide feedback. 

Quarterly Stakeholder Survey is Live for 23 hours more 

Your chance to tell us how you feel about engagement and communication at Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station is now, link here to the Q3 2022 stakeholder satisfaction survey 

or copy and paste the URL below in your internet browser: 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YY7ZTX3 

Tell us what you think and we’ll take it on board. Feedback from past surveys has resulted in changes to the way we notify work, greater awareness of social media platforms, introduction of a construction calendar and much more.  

Because we value this feedback heaps, one lucky winner will receive a $100 voucher to a local business to say thanks for participating.  

Station names open for public consultation

City Rail Link has an exciting development to share in its journey to officially name its four stations.  

Public consultation is now open, meaning Kiwis across Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa can share their views on the names behind this important mahi (work). 

As you may be aware, earlier in the year City Rail Link put forward a proposal to have four stations names, gifted by its Mana Whenua Forum, officially recognised by the national place naming authority. 

Read more: 

• Te reo Māori Station Names Revealed 

• The ins and outs of Station Naming 

• Check out your Future Stations 

These te reo Māori names - Maungawhau, Karanga-a-Hape, Te Waihorotiu and Waitematā – are proposed to replace the pre-existing/interim names. 

The names are inspired by the cultural heritage of the of the geographic locations these stations will serve, which will be reflected in the designs of the buildings themselves – further deepening the station’s connection to people and place.  

The authority, the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa, has considered these names and made minor adjustments to the grammatical presentation as below.  

• Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station 

• Karanga-a-Hape Station (Karangahape) 

• Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea) 

• Waitematā Station (Britomart) 

Find out more and ‘Meet Your Stations’ here or have your say by taking part in the public consultation.

InfoHub featuring urban realm 

No matter how long the winter is, spring is sure to follow! To celebrate the daylight savings coming into effect in September and the transformation that spring will bring, we want to take you into a new realm (the Urban Realm). 
 
On Tuesday 6th September from 5-7pm, we welcome you to join us at 1 New North Road in the CRL Visitor Centre at Te Manawa. 

We are excited to present an exhibit that will showcase the street designs around Porters Avenue and Fenton Street as well as design features of the new station. We will be displaying special samples of basalt rock which was excavated during construction, to show how this material will be used to make pavers for the street. We will also be presenting architectural designs of the area. Our Design Manager will be at the exhibit to answer any questions you may have.  
 
If virtual reality is your thing, you can also step into our virtual world and take a look around the new station. 

Perimeter site tours 

The first Tuesday of each month at 4:30pm and the last Saturday morning at 10am.  

Monthly perimeter tours around the Maungawhau/Mount Eden site have been a huge hit! 

Tours take place every month on the first Tuesday, and due to demand, we are also running tours on the last Saturday of the month from now on. 

Our next tour on the 6th of September is fully booked. Get in touch with the team at mteden@Linkalliance.co.nz to book your spot in one of our other upcoming tours now!  

A place to chill 

Did you know.... 

There is a place in Mt Eden where neighbours can go to work, study or just chill away from the construction? 

Cityside Baptist Church on Mt Eden Road is fully accessible, has tea and coffee facilities, Wi-Fi and electricity as well as comfy sofas, tables and chairs. Everything you need to work, study or just relax. This is a quiet place free of interruptions and it’s free of charge courtesy of Link Alliance. 

Open Monday through Thursday between 10am and 2pm. Drop in anytime, no booking necessary and everyone is welcome. 

Jargon Buster 

Each month Link Alliance is going to look at some of the more technical terms from the construction and ‘translate’ them into more easy-to-understand terms. This month we will look at ‘Megapit’. 

The Megapit units which you will see around the newly developed Maungawhau Mount Eden Station are designed for installation in areas where there is a need to intercept high volumes of stormwater (up to 800 litres per second).

Stormwater is directed into the Megapit through an extended roadside grate and an inlet under the kerb. The compact footprint is ideal for inner city locations where it can be fitted without much interference to existing services, particularly those behind the kerb.  
 
The Megapits are essential around Maungawhau to prevent flooding during rainy weather and tie into the new stormwater services that the team have installed.