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2024 News Releases
KiwiRail: Getting ready for City Rail Link – final push to prepare Auckland’s rail network
08 November 2024
Critical rail network upgrades being delivered before City Rail Link (CRL) opens in 2026 will support big cuts in journey times, fewer delays and trains every four to five minutes at peak.
Details were shared today on the transformational benefits coming for Aucklanders and the delivery plan for the network upgrade required before the opening in 2026. At the newly developed Maungawhau Station, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Acting Auckland Mayor Desley Simpson, KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and City Rail Link Ltd shared the scale of what will be achieved between now and 2026.
Auckland Transport Director Public Transport and Active Modes Stacey van der Putten says everything is on track for opening in 2026, and Aucklanders can start to get excited about the new ways they will be able to travel around the city.
“CRL will bring quicker public transport journey times, it doubles the number of Aucklanders within a 30-minute train journey to the central city. Customers travelling from the west will get the benefits of direct new connections, for example Henderson to the new Te Waihorotiu Station in the central city will be about 24 minutes quicker – just a 35-minute trip.
“Passengers will be able to just turn up and go with trains running more frequently – at peak, every four to five minutes through the central city, east and south from stations north of Puhinui Station. From the west there’ll be a train every eight minutes and from Pukekohe every 10 minutes.”
Click on the image for a bigger version
How the work will be delivered
“Additional funding provided by the Government in the latest Budget has allowed us to move forwards with certainty to plan and deliver much-needed upgrades on the rail network. These are essential to enable the faster, more frequent journeys that CRL and the other major projects we are delivering will bring,” says KiwiRail’s Chief Infrastructure Officer André Lovatt.
“The majority of the next and final stages of the Rail Network Rebuild will be delivered in extensions to the usual closures when all services are suspended during major holidays so our teams can safely work on the tracks and inside tunnels. This will include four weeks over Christmas 2024, and a couple of extended blocks around Easter 2025 and Christmas 2025 with some shorter periods of reduced frequencies on certain lines. A full network closure may not be needed for all those blocks, but this is the maximum time needed. There is also some contingency allowed throughout the programme for unexpected events.
“We know it’s vital to get the most out of this time period. That’s why we will be working 24-7 wherever possible. The hard work being achieved through Rail Network Rebuild is achieving a decade’s worth of work over 18 months - ultimately this will enable more efficient and faster train services. We thank commuters, passengers, and freight customers for their patience with these disruptions as we safely deliver the huge amount of work.”
This approach means relatively short sharp closures and less ongoing disruption when passengers and freight suppliers need the network most.
“We will work hard together with KiwiRail to retain weekday peak services so Aucklanders can still rely on the train for their weekday routines. This means, wherever possible, outside major holiday periods, rail line closures will be at weekends or late evenings and have school holidays as planned contingency periods to support the programme being delivered on-time,” says van der Putten.
“We’ve aimed to have weekends where trains are needed to transport people to major events not impacted throughout 2025, as we know the important role that train travel plays in getting people to and from these locations.”
“Our focus with AT, as we planned how to deliver this work, has been on working as effectively and efficiently as possible to reduce disruption to customers - we are trying to keep trains running for as many people and goods as possible, as often as we can, but sometimes we must close the network for safety and to get work done more quickly,” says Lovatt.
As well as the upgrades, replacements and overdue maintenance being carried out on the network, KiwiRail is delivering multiple large-scale infrastructure projects to prepare for more reliable, frequent trains. Find out more about these here. In combination with CRL these will all play their part in enabling a transformed rail network.
City Rail Link Ltd’s Systems Director Wayne Cooney details some of the complexity associated with integrating CRL into the existing network: “Getting ready for City Rail Link’s passengers in 2026 requires a range of upgrades and renewals of Auckland’s rail network, in addition to fitting out new stations, and integrating, testing and commissioning of new systems. We ask Aucklanders to bear with us: It will be worth the wait.”
All three organisations are committed to keeping the public informed on progress on the network and ensuring there is clear information available about alternative journeys when needed.
‘Milky Way’ inspires CRL station design
11 September 2024
Elders from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland iwi led a traditional dawn blessing today for a symbolic unveiling of the distinctive panels that wrap around the upper levels of City Rail Link’s Karanga-a-Hape Station.
The project’s main delivery partner, Link Alliance, lifted more than a hundred of the blue and white panels, each one containing a selection of blue and white aluminium fins, to complete what is known as the station’s sky element – panels that serve both a modern-day function while acknowledging the city’s cultural heritage.
They protect Karanga-a-Hape’s ventilation and air intake systems while their diamond pattern design represents Te Ātea, the stars of the eternal cosmos, and the place of Aotearoa New Zealand in Te Ikaroa (the Milky Way).
“Aucklanders already know that we’re delivering a world-class railway and now they have a further reminder that it is one unique to their city as well,” says Dr Sean Sweeney, City Rail Link Ltd’s Chief Executive. “We have a very positive partnership with iwi through our Mana Whenua Forum and the great, distinctly Tāmaki Makaurau, contribution the Forum is making is something I am immensely proud of.”
Karanga-a-Hape’s sky element is designed by iwi artist Reuben Kirkwood (Ngāi Tai) alongside Link Alliance’s architecture team.
"Reuben's work beautifully encapsulates the binding of the spiritual and mortal realms in an otherwise contemporary urban setting, elevating the Mercury Lane elevation at Karanga-a-Hape to the ethereal,” says Adrian Pettit from CRL’s Mana Whenua Forum.
Sky elements and their ties to Māori tradition and storytelling were unveiled earlier this year at CRL’s two other new stations, Te Waihorotiu and Maungawhau.
Designs at all three stations reflect the Māori creation myth of Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (the earth mother), and their son Tāne Mahuta, the god of the forest. Traditional designs at Karanga-a-Hape Station also acknowledge the story of Hape, a significant ancestor who journeyed to Aotearoa on the back of a stingray.
Fit outs continue across all three stations. When CRL opens in 2026, Karanga-a-Hape will be New Zealand’s deepest railway station with platforms 33 metres below ground.
CRL Tunnel ‘school’ for Auckland Test Train Officers
23 August 2024
Auckland One Rail’s group of test train officers have been part of a brand new below-ground experience – preparing to operate trains safely through the City Rail Link (CRL) tunnels.
“CRL is a whole new scenario for the test train officers,” says Dr Sean Sweeney, Chief Executive of City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd).
“We are building New Zealand’s first underground railway. CRL trains will use one of the steepest rail grades in New Zealand and construction includes infrastructure and new operations and maintenance requirements not seen in this country before. There is much to learn.”
The test train officers are tenured drivers with extensive experience. They will operate the first trains to be tested in the tunnels later this year.
Locomotive Engineer (train driver) Charmaine Fitton says looking behind the scenes underground is an exciting opportunity to get ready for the big changes coming when CRL opens in 2026.
“When you drive outside everything is pretty and you have these landmarks that you can use as reference points but in a tunnel, you’re closed in and have to judge braking distances and things like that, so I think that’ll be the most challenging part of the training,” Charmaine says.
CRL is New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project and one of the most complex. The 3.45-kilometre-long tunnels below the city centre connect the current Waitematā (Britomart) terminus station with Maungawhau Station on the North Auckland/Western Line. Two underground stations – Karanga-a-Hape and Te Waihorotiu – are under construction along the route.
A programme as big as this one requires a team effort. CRL Ltd, its Link Alliance contractors, Auckland Transport, KiwiRail and Auckland One Rail, which operates the city’s trains, are working together to ensure drivers, station staff network controllers and rail maintenance staff will be ready from day one.
AT’s Director of Public Transport and Active Modes, Stacey van der Putten, says more than 260 train drivers, in addition to 200 train managers and station staff, will all need to be trained for the big changes ahead, before opening
“There’s a lot of preparation involved to make sure we’re ready to operate an entirely new route that will give Aucklanders quicker and easier access to inner-city destinations.”
To support the practical aspects of the training, special equipment, track mock-ups and updated train driver simulator programmes have been developed.
KiwiRail Chief Infrastructure Officer Andre Lovatt says connecting a new railway to an existing network is complex and requires a wide range of staff all working together to integrate systems while keeping trains running safely.
“We’ve worked hard to bring cohesion and consistency to learning and handover for all the staff that’ll be working across everything from train & station operations, train driving, signalling, rail maintenance and electrical infrastructure.
“In fact, the training programme goes beyond just CRL. It prepares people working on Auckland’s rail to manage all of the new upgraded assets across the wider network and to operate the new services coming with City Rail Link,” says Mr Lovatt.
The training and testing programme is contributing to CRL’s commitment to hand over the project in November 2025 to Auckland Transport and KiwiRail. It will be a City Rail Link with completed and tested infrastructure that meets the highest standards of safety. AT and KiwiRail will then carry out the final work that’s essential to be ready for customers on trains, including trial running to practice operating CRL and validate the reliability of all systems.
Project momentum maintained as CRL names new chief
12 July 2024
City Rail Link Ltd has named its Chief Financial Officer, Patrick Brockie, as the new Chief Executive to lead the country’s largest transport infrastructure project to completion.
Mr Brockie, a chartered accountant, joined CRL Ltd five years ago. He replaces Dr Sean Sweeney who is leaving in September.
City Rail Link Ltd’s Chair, John Bridgman, says Mr Brockie’s appointment comes at an important time for CRL.
“Patrick’s knowledge of CRL’s complexities and challenges are underscored by his passion for the project. Critically, his appointment provides seamless continuity that will ensure the momentum we have right across the project is maintained as we drive towards planned practical completion late next year,” Mr Bridgman says.
Mr Brockie’s career is extensive. He has held senior management positions in the banking sector and spent significant time working in Asia and the United Kingdom. Mr Brockie also has significant infrastructure experience including working on City Rail Link since 2019. He started his career with NZ Railways Corporation, is a former Chair of Infrastructure New Zealand, and a trustee for World Vision New Zealand.
“I am privileged to take charge of a project that is changing Auckland,” Mr Brockie says. “Our finish line gets closer by the day and our priority is to deliver a world class railway to help our vibrant city continue to grow and prosper – and we are committed to doing that as effectively and efficiently as possible,” Mr Brockie says.
Dr Sweeney is leaving for Ireland to head construction of a metro rail tunnel project in Dublin.
City Rail Link’s ‘traffic lights’ now connected
01 July 2024
Critical steps towards finishing City Rail Link and extending electric trains to Pukekohe were successfully completed during Matariki weekend.
The City Rail Link signalling systems, the traffic lights that control how and where trains operate safely, were successfully integrated with the wider rail network. The signalling integration is another step closer towards the first trains running through the tunnels under Auckland city centre later this year for testing and training.
The new overhead electric lines between Papakura to Pukekohe were also powered up for the first time during the full network closure for Matariki weekend.
The signalling work was carried out by KiwiRail and Link Alliance on behalf of City Rail Link Limited. It included implementing signalling updates at Morningside (including Maungawhau), Newmarket, Quay Park and Waitematā (Britomart) and Penrose.
KiwiRail also carried out the Papakura to Pukekohe energisation, Rail Network Rebuild work between Papakura and Pukekohe, Middlemore station upgrades and work on the new western power feed to improve resilience of the rail network.
KiwiRail Chief Infrastructure Officer Andre Lovatt says the teams involved worked hard to design and model the systems to allow seamless integration, without disruption to commuters, so it is pleasing to see there were no issues.
“We still have a huge scope of work to get done to be ready for City Rail Link, both to integrate new systems and deliver complex upgrade projects across the network.
“We know it is frustrating, but as we continue with further integration work there will be a risk of some disruption. All of the work we are doing now takes us closer to rail being easier, better connected and more reliable for Aucklanders,” Mr Lovatt says.
City Rail Link Chief Executive Sean Sweeney says the successful weekend is the result of some great team work and the hard work of all involved.
“CRL also wants to thank the public for their patience and support – this weekend was a critical step towards completion of the project. It has helped bring the finish line and all the benefits a completed CRL will give Aucklanders that much closer.”
Auckland Transport Director Public Transport and Active Modes Stacey van der Putten says the rail closure over the weekend has meant a lot of good work has been done work towards building a better, more resilient rail network.
“We appreciate the continued patience of Aucklanders as we get closer to opening the City Rail Link.”
Leadership change at City Rail Link
23 June 2024
Successful leadership of New Zealand’s largest transport project has won a top international appointment for the Chief Executive of Auckland’s City Rail Link Ltd, Dr Sean Sweeney.
Dr Sweeney has resigned today from the City Rail Link (CRL) project to lead the MetroLink project in Ireland’s capital, Dublin. MetroLink’s construction costs are around four times greater than CRL’s and it is six times longer.
“I have been more than honoured to lead CRL and with our finish line approaching rapidly it was no easy decision to leave a project that will always remain special to me,” Dr Sweeney says. “It will not only do so much for Auckland and Aucklanders, but CRL demonstrates the very best in outstanding teamwork, innovation and design – everyone of us who have worked on CRL can rightly feel proud and privileged to have done so.”
City Rail Link Ltd’s Chairman, John Bridgman, says Dr Sweeney’s resignation is accepted with regret.
“I congratulate Sean on his new appointment – it is a great opportunity on the world stage for a New Zealander with his outstanding engineering and leadership skills.”
“Be assured, however, that his resignation will not trigger any slowdown in the project’s momentum. One of Sean’s legacies is the strong leadership team he has established. Construction is more than 80 per cent complete, there is a good atmosphere across all our sites and CRL’s testing and commissioning phase is gathering pace. The project is in great shape and we remain on track to complete the project and hand it over to Auckland Transport and KiwiRail at the end of next year,” says Mr Bridgman.
Dr Sweeney studied engineering at Wellington Polytechnic and Auckland University and later gained a Doctorate in Construction Economics from Melbourne University. He worked in the infrastructure industry overseas before returning to New Zealand in 2018 to lead City Rail Link Ltd, the Crown Entity established by the New Zealand Government and Auckland Council to deliver CRL.
During the past six years, Dr Sweeney successfully steered the project through the collapse of one of the project’s major suppliers, established the Link Alliance – CRL’s main delivery partner – two cost reviews and the covid pandemics and their impacts on work programmes, staff and supply chains.
On managing the project through these event Dr Sweeney says: “There have certainly been a lot of big issues to deal with alongside the complexity and challenges of building New Zealand’s first underground railway in the middle of our largest city. I’m really proud of the way the team has managed through these,” he says.
MetroLink will be built between central Dublin and the city’s airport and connect with existing road and rail public transport.
With a $20bn budget, it is almost 19 kilometres long, most of it underground and includes 16 new stations.
Dr Sweeney’s appointment is not only a professional one.
His mother, born in the English city of Liverpool, has Irish heritage and his father comes from County Mayo in Ireland’s west.
“There’s a strong personal element involved and the chance for an Irish/Kiwi like me to reconnect with family in Ireland,” Dr Sweeney says.
Dr Sweeney will leave CRL in September.
John Bridgman says the search for a new Chief Executive is underway.
“We know that there is a high calibre of talent both internally and externally who will be able to continue the great work on this project and take it to completion. The CRL Board has already started identifying suitable candidates and in the meantime, momentum on the project remains unchanged,” Mr Bridgman says.
Another Step Towards City Rail Link Opening
24 June 2024
A major step towards connecting City Rail Link (CRL) to the existing rail network will be carried out this Matariki long weekend.
New CRL signalling systems will be integrated with those already in operation, allowing trains to operate seamlessly and safely between the new tunnels and the existing network.
Signalling is essentially a sophisticated traffic light system for the railway network, showing drivers when trains can move safely and their route.
The work will be carried out by KiwiRail and Link Alliance on behalf of City Rail Link Limited (CRL Ltd) during a full rail network closure for the Matariki weekend (28 – 30 June). Other work during the closure includes electrification and Rail Network Rebuild work from Papakura to Pukekohe, Middlemore station upgrades and the new western power feed.
KiwiRail Chief Infrastructure Officer Andre Lovatt says CRL will be a game changer for how people travel across the city but the complexities and challenges of connecting new infrastructure with existing systems should not be underestimated.
“There will inevitably be integration complexities that result in disruption for passengers as we continue to carry out the huge scope of work to get ready for City Rail Link.
“We have designed this signalling system integration to minimise the risk of disruption to passengers in the morning peak following the Matariki network shut. This includes completing all the signalling data updates at the same time to reduce interface risks and reduce the likelihood that normal train operations at Waitematā (Britomart) will be disrupted, even if the CRL elements aren’t completed during the long weekend.”
CRL Ltd’s Chief Executive, Dr Sean Sweeney says that evidence from projects overseas tells us the testing and commissioning phase, which the CRL project has entered, is the most complicated phase of building a new railway.
“New Zealand has never built an underground metro railway before. Simply put, it is a case of not always knowing what we don’t know until we commission and test it.
“Before passengers can use City Rail Link, we need to carry out a huge programme of testing, commissioning and system integration in conjunction with our partners, KiwiRail and Auckland Transport. Not only do individual systems need to work as planned, but all the systems need to work together, as expected,” Dr Sweeney says.
Auckland Transport Director Public Transport and Active Modes Stacey van der Putten says rail replacement buses will be operating for those who need to travel during Matariki weekend while this vital piece of work is being completed.
“We are very aware our rail customers have experienced frequent disruptions lately, including recent industrial action. We’re grateful for their ongoing patience and support while our partners work hard towards making rail easier, better connected and more reliable for Aucklanders.
Notes:
CRL Ltd, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail are working together to deliver the better-connected network with faster, more frequent, and reliable trains that City Rail Link will bring as quickly as possible.
The signalling updates are being implemented at Morningside (including Maungawhau), Newmarket, Quay Park and Waitematā (Britomart) and Penrose. These important changes will integrate the CRL into the existing inner part of the Auckland rail network.
Signalling data updates at Waitematā (Britomart) are also part of the process to allow for the through running of trains when CRL opens.
The update will bring online and integrate the new CRL signalling equipment rooms.
The signal update has been designed in a way that reduces the likelihood of disruption to normal train operations at Waitematā (Britomart) if the CRL elements are not completed in time.
We are completing all the updates at the same time to reduce the interface risks of multiple smaller updates.
A test train will run on Sunday to certify the signals have been successfully integrated.
Buses will replace all trains, and a Puhinui Express bus will run from Waitematā Station to Puhinui Station via Newmarket to keep customers connected to the airport.
City Rail Link testing and commissioning:
Testing and commissioning everything is a complex operation that will take months. Not only does each system need to work as planned, but all the systems need to work together in integration.
This includes integration between the:
Newly installed infrastructure and systems of the CRL
Existing systems on the trains
Existing wider rail network systems
Existing Auckland Transport IT and communication systems.
Each of the 260 train drivers required to operate the CRL will need to undertake three months of training.
City Rail Link Benefits:
More reliable trains
A better-connected rail network and better connections to other modes of transport
Improved access across the region, but especially the city centre.
Double the number of people within 30 minutes of NZ’s biggest employment hub.
An attractive alternative to travelling by car, which means less congestion for people who need the roads.
Better health and environmental outcomes.
Significant commercial and residential opportunities around the stations.
CRL set to dazzle Tāmaki Makaurau Matariki night sky
18 June 2024
The City Rail Link (CRL) project is celebrating the arrival of Matariki with the simple flick of a switch tonight to pierce the long winter nights of Tāmaki Makaurau with walls of light.
At five o’clock lights will be switched on at CRL’s striking new stations at Te Waihorotiu in the city centre and at Maungawhau on the North Auckland/Western Line.
“Aucklanders already know we are delivering a world class railway and now they can see first-hand it is one unique to their city as well,” says City Rail Link Ltd’s Chief Executive, Dr Sean Sweeney. “The Matariki lighting highlights the stunning influence the project’s Mana Whenua Forum and mana whenua artists have had on our designs.”
At Te Waihorotiu, thousands of aluminium fins wrap three sides of the impressive Wellesley Street entrance building, which forms the cornerstone of midtown’s transformation and regeneration.
At Maungawhau, 80 fins and triangles designed to show the tears of Ranginui, Sky Father, part of the station’s overall telling of the Māori story of creation will be floodlit.
Floodlighting at both stations will be temporary and will become permanent later this year.
The rise of the Matariki stars marks the start of the Māori new year. Artist for Te Waihorotiu, Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Haua, Ngāti Manu) says that the normalisation of traditional knowledge used in the CRL project has been impressive and a step in the right direction for Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa.
“All work in the initial pre-planning stages has paid off and now we see the fruits of that early work as we begin to unveil the stories of Te Waihorotiu, Poutama (and the pursuit of knowledge) and through the various design thinking that has gone into the last 10 years,” Mr Tipene says. “This station and this project are a testament to the nationhood we must strive for, and the excellence the Poutama facade design recognises brings to the fore a narrative that all of Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa can be proud of.”
Seven ultra-thick glass skylights have been installed to let light into Te Waihorotiu Station, 15-metres below ground. The skylights represent the seven stars in the Matariki constellation, also known as the Pleiades cluster.
Representatives of CRL’s Mana Whenua Forum will perform karakia later this month at Te Waihorotiu to mark the successful installation and completion of its facades.
Completion of the sky element facades signals progress as fit-outs continue across CRL’s three new stations, including Karanga-a-Hape, with a goal to largely complete this work by the end of the year.
CRL scales new heights restoring its own “Everest”
30 April 2024
Work that began with hand-held spades in the ground four years ago came full circle today with City Rail Link (CRL) today celebrating the end of work to shift one massive pile of dirt and then replace it with another at the project’s Maungawhau Staton site.
Removing a large sloping hill in Eden Terrace cleared the way for construction of the southern tunnel portal connecting CRL with the new station and the North Auckland/Western rail line. The hill has now been restored and most of the heavy construction hidden underground. “In many ways the hill was CRL’s ‘Everest’ – a mountain of a job completed successfully with larger-than-life high-tech machines and wonderful innovation that demonstrate the huge size of CRL’s work and all the complexities and challenges that come with that,” says City Rail Link’s Chief Executive, Dr Sean Sweeney. “This was building for Auckland’s future on a grand scale – all the materials we used can be measured by the tens of thousands.
After an historic colonial cottage perched above the hill was safely relocated, the first spades of dirt were removed from the hill at an official sod turning ceremony in February 2020. Spades quickly gave way to heavy machinery – in the months that followed more than 130,000 cubic metres (1300,000m3) of material was carved away by CRL’s main contractor, Link Alliance.
In the hill’s place a line of 71 concrete piles between 42 metres and 8 metres long were driven deep into the ground to anchor a sweeping curved retaining wall 127 metres long and 25 metres high – a buttress of concrete and steel to support CRL’s southern portal and the streets above it. One of the most celebrated ‘visitors’ to the portal was Dame Whina Cooper, the project’s tunnel boring machine. From there it launched its two underground drives into the heart of Auckland’s midtown to excavate the rail tunnels.
Cut and cover tunnel construction was completed last October, clearing the way for the next massive programme of work – restoring the hill.
On average a convoy of 45 trucks a day transported backfill spoil from quarries in south-east Auckland to the Maungawhau site. Measured monthly, the amount of spoil was the equivalent of 13,000 cars, or 100 blue whales.
Link Alliance Project Director Francois Dudouit acknowledged the hard work of the 200 workers who worked for four years in the tunnel portal area.
“The area has been transformed, reshaped and filled back in again. Much of this extraordinary achievement is hidden from view as 85,000 tonnes of dirt now cover the complex and significant structures built below. I am proud of the teams involved in achieving this enormous milestone,” Mr Dudouit says.
Mr Dudouit says each layer of backfill was carefully compacted to ensure the restored hill was safe and secure for future use.
Compaction has prepared the restored hill for future use by Eke Panuku, Auckland Council’s urban regeneration organisation. A street above the hill will also be re-aligned back to its original shape.
Essential Mercury Lane works as CRL prepares for the future
09 April 2024
Maximising the benefits that a completed Karanga-a-Hape Station will bring to the city centre when City Rail Link (CRL) opens will require a temporary closure of sections of Mercury Lane for necessary works to safeguard the neighbourhood’s future power supplies.
The initial closure starts next Monday, 15 April, at the southern end of the lane, from the southern corner of Cross Street / Mercury Lane, to just above the Wilson parking building entry / exit on Mercury Lane. This section of work is expected to take two weeks.
The other sections of work are at the Cross Street / Mercury Lane intersection and at the northern section of Mercury Lane, from Cross Street to Karangahape Road. The temporary closures are expected to continue until late-June.
Clearly signposted routes will be in place to ensure drivers continued access to the car park building and local apartments and businesses. Pedestrian access is not affected. Cyclists are asked to walk their wheels.
The closure will allow CRL’s main contractor, Link Alliance, to dig a 150-metre-long trench that will be used by electricity suppliers to futureproof power supplies.
“It’s a great opportunity to combine our present work in the area with wider needs and avoid the need for more road works and disruption in the future,” says Link Alliance Project Director Francois Dudouit.
The trench is 1.2 metres deep and 1.2 metres wide.
Full details of the work, including access routes, are available here.
“Our priority is to minimise the impact of the closure, and keep road users safe while we complete essential work,” Mr Dudouit says. “We will have diversions in place to maintain access. Drivers who usually access Mercury Lane from Pitt Street or the Ponsonby end of Karangahape Road, in particular, should plan for more time to get to their destinations safely.”
‘Tearful story’ reflects unique City Rail Link project
21 March 2024
Aucklanders already know the City Rail Link (CRL) project is delivering a world-class railway and now they can see first-hand that it is one unique to their city as well.
The last of 80 distinctive blue panels have now been fitted onto the upper levels of CRL’s Maungawhau Station to complete what is known as the station’s sky element – panels that serve both a modern day function while acknowledging the cultural heritage of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
The sky element panels, which wrap around the ventilation and air intake systems on top of the new station, are designed also to tell the Māori story of creation. The striking pattern of shingles and blue triangles represent the tears of Ranginui (sky father) after being separated from Papatūānuku (Earth Mother).
“New railways are under construction all over the world but what makes CRL stand out from the rest is our rewarding partnership with mana whenua which has resulted in culturally significant station designs that people will not see anywhere else on the planet,” says Dr Sean Sweeney, City Rail Link Ltd’s Chief Executive.
“We are so proud of our partnership with mana whenua and to have world-class project that is distinctly Tāmaki Makaurau,” he says.
The panels have been designed by iwi artist Tessa Harris (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki) whose work embedding the narratives of Tāmaki Makaurau is visible right across the project – at Te Komititanga, the square in downtown Auckland, Porters Avenue Bridge and the Maungawhau Station building.
“It has been a privilege to bring the mana whenua narrative to Maungawhau Station,” Tessa says. “The collaboration design process has brought stunning architecture that combines culture and functionality, in a way that is uniquely Aotearoa. When you view the shingles in different light, it is an ever-changing reflection like the shimmer of tears.”
Crews from CRL’s main contractor, Link Alliance, used a crane and elevated working platforms to lift the 80 panels into place, piecing them together like a puzzle. Each panel varies in size and weight, ranging from 2250cm – 307cm in width, 2.5m – 3m in height, and 40kg – 90kg in weight.
The sky element feature is one of four separate elements that will tell the design kōrero (story) of a completed Maungawhau Station building and its ties to the surrounding landscape.
Each of the four elements reflects te ao (the Māori world view) and the station’s cultural relationships with the nearby Maungawhau (Mt Eden) volcano and Matāoho, the atua or diety of Tamaki Makaurau’s volcanic field.
The partnership with iwi through the project’s Manu Whenua Forum is further reflected in the traditional and cultural designs that enhance CRL’s two new midtown stations, Karanga-a-Hape and Te Waihorotiu.
CRL completes tunnel track laying – green light for train testing
21 February 2024
Auckland’s City Rail Link project has completed installation of the second and final railway line below the central city.
The newly laid 3.4 kilometres of track will carry trains underground north from Maungawhau Station at Eden Terrace and connect with the two new central city ones – Karanga-a-Hape and Te Waihorotiu – and downtown’s Waitematā Station (Britomart). CRL’s southbound line was installed last year.
“There’s plenty to celebrate for our project teams, and for Aucklanders,” says Dr Sean Sweeney, Chief Executive for City Rail Link Ltd. “Completing the two tracks brings us one big step closer to the next phase of the project - testing trains inside the tunnels mid-year, and from there handing CRL over next year to Auckland Transport and KiwiRail, who will operate and maintain it.”
CRL Ltd’s main contractor, Link Alliance, and railway infrastructure company, Martinus New Zealand, installed the track on what is one of the steepest sections of railway in New Zealand. From Maungawhau the line drops 70 metres to Waitematā, which sits below sea level. At its deepest point, CRL runs 42 metres underneath Auckland’s busy Central Motorway Junction.
The final section of the northbound line was installed near Te Waihorotiu Station.
The project’s tunnel boring machine, named in honour of Māori rights activist Dame Whina Cooper, excavated most of the tunnels to clear the way for track laying. Other sections of tunnel, near Waitematā Station, were built by first digging trenches and then covering them over.
Link Alliance Project Director, Francois Dudouit, says conditions under Auckland were challenging with tight curves, a steep gradient and no room for heavy machinery to pass.
“We became New Zealand’s first construction organisation to gain a Rail Operators and Rail Access Provider licence under the Railways Act – an innovation that gave us the flexibility we needed to plan the job and get it done to the highest standard.”
The focus for 2024 shifts to train testing and the fit out of the stations and tunnels, alongside landscaping and urban realm enhancements. The fit-out programme includes the installation of lifts, escalators, security systems, CCTV, electricity, signalling and communications.
All track laying across the project’s three sites is now complete. Altogether, New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project laid 11 kilometres of line. In addition to the underground lines, new tracks were laid at Maungawhau to connect CRL and the Western/North Auckland Line, and a short section of track was laid at the eastern end of Waitematā (Britomart) Station.
Over three years, CRL’s project-wide track laying programme used more than 1100 tonnes of steel, poured almost 11,000 tonnes of concrete, laid 4,000 sleepers and completed hundreds of rail welds, which smooth out the ‘clickety-clack’ joins where track sections meet, to give Aucklanders a smoother ride.
CRL’s “green light” to clear temporary station building
30 January 2024
Rail commuters returning to work from their well-earned summer break will notice a significant change around Waitematā (Britomart) Station this month: the start of work to remove the temporary building at the rear of the station on Commerce Street.
The building was erected in 2017, originally as the main station entrance while City Rail Link project works restored the station inside the venerable Chief Post Office building and constructed the twin tunnels in its basement.
With the completion of these works in 2021, the building was used as a base for CRL’s main Link Alliance contractor, enabling it to deliver a range of works that included construction of the "back of house" facilities, the installation of smoke protection systems, and raising the station concourse.
Last month, Link Alliance vacated the temporary building to allow Auckland Transport to prepare the site for CRL sub-contractors, Martinus, to start deconstruction from 22 January.
Removal will take approximately two months and is not expected to cause any significant disruption to commuters.
City Rail Link Ltd's Chief Executive, Dr Sean Sweeney, says the temporary building’s removal marks another significant step forward for a project already transforming Auckland.
“The land where the building stood will be turned into a vibrant people-friendly open space for all Aucklanders to enjoy – a plaza behind Waitematā Station between Tyler and Galway Streets,” Dr Sweeney says.
"Working in the heart of New Zealand's busiest city presents many unique challenges, but as we begin the removal of the temporary station building, I want to extend my gratitude to the commuters and Britomart community for their patience. Any large-scale infrastructure project is only possible with the backing of the community and its patience."
Dr Sweeney also extended CRL’s thanks to all its contractors, Auckland Council and Auckland Transport.
"These works represent another stage in what has been a colossal, complex and innovative team effort over many years at Waitematā as we worked together to keep our city moving and reshape the spaces around the station.”
Following the temporary building’s removal, Auckland Council will lead the construction of the plaza. Work on the plaza is planned to start this autumn. You can learn more about the design here.