Kia ora neighbour,
This month we are delighted to share a significant milestone. The first test train made its way from Britomart to Maungawhau along the CRL tracks! A milestone that truly heralds the beginning of next level public transport in Auckland, and the (near) end of the Link Alliance journey.
Work has continued throughout the summer at Maungawhau Station during Blocks of Line from mid-December to late January, primarily on the platforms and train lines to take advantage of the trains not running. Some utilities work also occurred in areas in advance of a big new year push into the urban realm space.
Join us for a ride on the first test train running and read on for an update on the developing streetscape and the station build.
Ngā mihi,
The Maungawhau Station team.
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First test train running!
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A major step on a journey that will transform travel in Auckland was completed successfully this month when a test train made its first trip through the full length of the CRL tunnels. Overnight, on 12 February, 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 and on to Maungawhau Station to meet with the Western/North Auckland Line.
This event marked the beginning of a busy programme of testing trains, testing under different conditions and speeds. It is a critical stage for the CRL project. Read more about CRL testing here.
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Watch the first test train going through the CRL tunnels.
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The worksite here at Maungawhau will see a dramatic change next month when the spoil shed, an imposing fixture on the Maungawhau site for more than three years, is de-constructed.
The spoil shed was installed early 2021 to store the thousands of tons of spoil removed from the tunnels as the Dame Whina Cooper Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), bored her way through two tunnel drives. It was one of many gargantuan tools that supported the massive TBM.
The spoil basin structure stands 8-metres high. The length is divided into four bins that are four metres deep. During tunneling operations, up to 1,500 tons of spoil were excavated each day. Trucks worked throughout the day to remove the spoil from site, taking cleanfill to Three Kings Quarry in Mt Eden. All other spoil was trucked to disposal sites at Mercer in the Waikato.
Following the completion of the tunnel excavation works, the spoil shed remained on site to provide storage and workspace for civil construction activity. Now that its work is done, the spoil shed will be dismantled and sent to its new owner in Thames where it will be re-deployed to store woodchip stock. In March we will we say goodbye to the last supporting structure of the TBM era.
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The spoil basin has been a prominent fixture on the station landscape since 2021.
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Bridges and Platforms
Work is also progressing on bridges, buildings and platforms, and wayfinding signage is also popping up. Work continues on the many bridges and buildings that will service the station and finishing touches are appearing on both the CRL and Western Line platforms.
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Benches and signs are installed on the CRL platform, wrapped to protect them from the work still going on.
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A Western Line train travels through the station, adjacent to Ruru Lane on the left. Notice the newly installed light poles along Ruru Lane.
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Utilities and Urban Realm
Utilities work at the corners of Nikau and Ruru Streets is almost complete, and the utilities work at Korari, Flower, Shaddock and Ngahura Streets are well underway. These works will be followed by urban realm, including kerb and channel construction, streetscapes and in some places, tree planting and gardens.
Our work on Mt Eden Road is complete except for a bus stop installation at the corner of Enfield and Mt Eden Roads. While lights have been installed at the mid-block crossing on Mt Eden Road, activation of these lights is not scheduled to occur until the bus shelter is installed and the final road markings, from Mt Eden Village to Nikau Street, are completed closer to Easter.
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Looking back along Ruru Lane towards Mt Eden Road, landscaping elements, including seating and garden areas are coming together. Almost ready for planting!
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Machinery on Shaddock Street adjacent to Flower Street and Mount Eden Road apartments.
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A view from above, of Ruru Lane extending out to Mt Eden Road from the station building.
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Looking down from the elevated corner of Nikau and Flower Streets, overlooking 'Te Ha' the tunnel vent building and the station beyond.
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See the progress via this birds eye view captured during our most recent drone camera flyover.
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Inside the Station
In the station building and in the plaza, architectural and design elements are nearing completion. In March, 53 glass ‘lava’ triangles will be installed onto the waterwall surface. Basalt tiles are laid throughout the station building and turnstiles have now been installed in the main entry.
Each turnstile takes one hour to set up, including the complex cabling work and secure installation into the ground.
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Turnstiles lined up along the entrance, like station sentinals standing tall and proud, ready to welcome travellers when the station is open.
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Crews have also been busy installing ticketing booths that will stand outside the station, facing the plaza. These terminals will provide AT HOP card services, although future commuters will also be able to use a credit or debit card to get into the station. AT HOP cards are still the best value when it comes to travel on Auckland's public transport network.
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Ticketing kiosks being installed outside of the station building.
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The installation of these amenities are a reminder of just how close to completion the station building is.
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Making new friends in the neighbourhood
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Activity has been bubbling away behind the doors and windows on the corner of 1 Mt Eden Road. We are excited to share a warm welcome to the proprietors of Puen Bar & Eatery which is set to open to the public in mid-March.
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"Puen" is a Lao and Thai word meaning "friend," it represents those who love each other equally, do good deeds for one another, and live together without discriminating based on gender, age, knowledge, nationality, or religion. This philosophy inspires the team behind Puen and underpins the collective effort they have put into this enterprise.
Expect cocktails and drinks, and Thai street food that preserves authentic, traditional Thai - Lao cuisine, delivered within a warm, vibrant new dining experience.
Another spot to add to your growing list of delicious reasons to visit Uptown.
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Jargon Buster: Water Truck and Wheel Wash
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Each month we look at technical terms from construction and ‘translate’ them into easy-to-understand language. This month we will look at ‘Water Truck and Wheel Wash’ - not exactly jargon really, but very important and fun features of our construction site.
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On site we have a water truck that goes around and sprays water all over our roads to help reduce dust. Its tank holds 8 thousand litres and to fill it up we use recycled and cured water from our water treatment plant.
The truck has a sprinkler at the back on the tank and a pipe that goes underneath to two sprinklers on the front. As well as traversing all the site roads, it is also seen roaming around the Uptown streets spraying water, especially the roads adjacent to our site entrance. We do this to make sure trucks don't trek mud and debris onto the neighbouring streets.
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Water truck loaded and ready to go.
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Water truck in action on site.
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With trucks and vehicles coming on and off the site regularly, another method we use to help control the spread of dust and mud is with a wheel wash. This is located near the site entrance and exits. Before any vehicles leave the site they drive over the blue ramps, water is blasted from the sides and bottom to get the wheels as clean as possible.
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