CRL Milestones in Videos
2023
September 2023
We sent a drone through the City Rail Link tunnel so you can get the feel of your future train journey underground from the redeveloped Maungawhau Stations to the familiar downtown Waitematā (Britomart).
It's a 3.4km journey.
The first of those two 3.45-kilometre-long tracks for Auckland’s newest railway line – the City Rail Link – has now been laid connecting, underground, Waitematā (Britomart) and Maungawhau Stations. That newly laid track will carry trains south from Waitematā Station (Britomart).
July 2023
Fenton Street bridge stairs have been successfully installed at the CRLMaungawhau station. This shows the team skilfully lift and shift the 26 tonne stair platform onto the main span of the bridge.
The bridge is expected to open to the public with the opening of Maungawhau station. It will connect Fenton Street and Ngahura Street, enhancing accessibility for people using the station in the future.
July 2023
On 10 July 2023, at the crack of dawn City Rail Link, KiwiRail, Link Alliance and Auckland Transport teams boarded trains to thank customers, and celebrate the return to dual lines running through Maungawhau Station for the first time since July 2020.
The single line enabled Link Alliance to safely undertake demolition and then rebuild the Western Line tracks in a slightly different position to make space for the City Rail Link lines, platform and station building in the area.
June 2023
Te Waihorotiu Station's streetscape upgrade programme will regenerate the area with new footpaths, roads, a dedicated cycleway, street furniture and trees. That work is now well underway on Victoria Street West.
May 2023
The reveal of the Ventilation Building’s façade which has been hiding behind scaffolding for the past year at the Maungawhau site. With the 19-metre-high scaffold removed, artist Graham Tipene’s completed ‘Whakarare’ pattern is strikingly visible on the building’s exterior.
This pattern reflects ‘te ha’ (the breath) as the building will play an important role in housing the ventilation system for the City Rail Link (CRL) tunnels. This ventilation system will work together with equipment at Karanga-a-Hape Station to keep air moving through the tunnels.
Check out the timelapse video showing the installation of the three levels of patterned precast concrete panels, and the black louvres at the top of the building.
March 2023
New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa names railway stations and invited the public to make a submission on proposals for the names of the City Rail Link stations. Their announcement was made on 16 March.
Maungawhau (for Mt Eden, an existing station)
Karanga-a-Hape Station (for Karangahape, a new station)
Te Waihorotiu Station (for Aotea, a new station)
Waitematā Station (for Britomart, an existing station).
2022
December 2022
We held a contest- and as a result, these were the first kids to ever set foot on a City Rail Link site and also the among the first in the world to walk the entire length of the CRL tunnels underground from Mt Eden.
September 2022
The TBM made its final breakthrough at the Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea) on 14 September 2022.
The Prime Minister visited the CRL construction sites.
The Minister of Transport, Michael Wood, during a visit to CRL's tunnel with the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, praised the great progress made
August 2022
Our TBM is on its way to Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea). Before this final leg of the journey began, we spoke to some of the team who were critical to the TBM’s breakthrough at Karanga-a-Hape Station (Karangahape) and the efforts to relaunch it.
July 2022
Drone footage of the Karanga-a-Hape Station (Karangahape) construction site
May 2022
TVNZ’s Seven Sharp explored our first bored CRL tunnel.
January 2022
The TBM’s front section was transported from the new midtown Auckland CRL Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea) back to the Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) station construction site.
April 2022
The Dame Whina Cooper TBM was launched from 110 metres within a mined tunnel at Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) on its way to midtown via the Karanga a Hape Station (Karangahape).
2021
December 2021
Our Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Dame Whina Cooper broke through into Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea) marking the end of its epic underground journey from Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden).
September 2021
At Karanga a Hape Station (Karangahape), a breakthrough by our Dame Whina Cooper Tunnel Boring Machine
The Mercury Lane entrance to the new City Rail Link Karanga a Hape Station (Karangahape) is at its deepest point, grade level – 27.5-metres below Mercury Lane. It’s a vast space that will eventually have seven underground levels.
May 2021
The Tunnel Boring Machine was turned on for the first time at the Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) portal.
April 2021
Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea) construction moved underground as station manager Matt Sinclair explains progress.
The Chief Post Office (CPO) re-opened resuming its role as the ‘front door’ to Waitematā Station (Britomart).
2020
2020 year in review
December 2020
Te Komititanga, the striking new people friendly square outside the former Chief Post Office - Waitematā Station (Britomart) -building with the CRL tunnels underneath.
The public were able to see and touch the new CRLTunnel Boring Machine up close at a Boring Day Out event at the Link Alliance Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) construction site.
Mining starts at the Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) of the tunnel portal to enable the launch of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM).
November 2020
The former Chief Post Office has been restored and ready to re-open as Waitematā Station (Britomart) in March 2021.
The big jigsaw puzzle - moving Auckland's heritage Bluestone wall in Albert St began. The wall is in the way of the Albert St tunnels and will be carefully restored in 2023 but moved slightly.
CRL's Ōtāhuhu Station improvements including a new platform were complete.
October 2020
The tunnel boring machine is ready to leave its Chinese factory and head for Auckland.
The lower end of Albert Street has been restored and improved with the CRL tunnels underneath.
September 2020
The noise enclosure in Mercury Lane is nearing being finished to allow Link Alliance construction workers to work 24 hours a day.
June 2020
KiwiRail's staff and contractors worked around the clock during Queen's Birthday weekend around Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) to install a unique track set called a scissor crossing.
The first quick “blast” at the Link Alliance Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) construction site. The following week the proper blasts started marking the start of excavations of the two trenches that are initially required for movement of the big tunnel boring machine into the tunnel portal.
A ceremony marked the start of construction for Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea).
2019
2019 year in review
November 2019
Public could walk the tunnels under Lower Queen St.
October 2019
CRL-related work included upgrading a section of the Southern Line. KiwiRail installed the first section of a crossover or junction to allow trains to safely switch between the existing main line and a new track being built into Ōtāhuhu station.
May 2019
Drone footage of the work continuing at the Chief Post Office - Waitematā Station (Britomart)- and Lower Queen Street.
January 2019
Over the Christmas period, work was done around the Strand railway yard in Parnell. The rail works include introducing a new track cross-over point that allows trains to more easily access the existing Strand station and stabling facility, along with some track realignment.
May 2019
Micro-sized tunnel boring machine Jeffie completed her underground journey below Mt Eden as part of the Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) site project. Jeffie was used to build a new, 423-metre-long stormwater main 17 metres below city streets. The existing main between Water and Nikau Streets would have been in the way of the tunnels.
2018
December 2018
We took the opportunity of making the Lower Queen Street area a fun public place before further construction took place.
November 2018
A major engineering feat achieved. The heritage Chief Post Office - Waitematā Station (Britomart)- had to be lifted to enable the tunnels to be built underneath.
July 2018
Work continues in the lower end of Albert Street.
2017
August 2017
A time-lapse showing work at the corner of Albert and Customs Sts.
Work progresses in Victoria and Albert Streets
July 2017
Construction work for tunnels down the lower end of Albert Street
Then CRL CEO (Chris Meale) surveys the construction work underway downtown near the Chief Post Office- Waitematā Station (Britomart).
June 2017
The cut and cover tunnel construction process in Albert St was underway
Then transport minister (Simon Bridges) and Auckland Mayor (Len Brown) sign documents to give CRL the green light.
May 2017
Work underway inside Waitematā Station (Britomart).
January 2017
A temporary Waitematā Station (Britomart) entrance opened so work could start on building the tunnels under the CPO