Kia ora neighbours,
It’s been another busy month on site, with the team hitting some of their major milestones despite the Alert Level 3 restrictions in place at the start of the month. Notably our TBM's shield is now in place, located at the portal. The carefully orchestrated move took place mid this month and generated buzz internally and externally.
Next month we look forward to the start of the TBM drive with the team busy setting up the supporting activities and structures that will support the drive. Our visitor centre – Te Manawa is now open every Monday from 11 am - 1 pm and from 4 - 6:30 pm, so come on in to check it out and have a chat to our friendly team.
Kind regards,
Mt Eden Station Team
|
|
|
The 450 tonne front section, or shield, of City Rail Link’s Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) has been successfully positioned in front of the Mt Eden tunnel portal after a 500-metre long drive that took one-and-a half hours to complete.
The shield was moved from the western edge of the Mt Eden site along a specially built road by a truck towing a hydraulic trailer fitted with 15 axles and 250 wheels to safely carry the shield’s weight.
|
|
|
Over the next week the team will be working to position the shield inside the first 50 metres of the CRL tunnel and connect the shield to the TBM’s ‘factory’ – the 11 sections or gantries that provide the hydraulic, mechanical and electrical power the shield will need to excavate the tunnels, remove the excavated spoil, and install the precast concrete segments that will line the tunnels.
|
|
|
|
The pre-cast concrete segments that will line the tunnel
|
|
|
The TBM is scheduled to launch at the end of next month where it will start boring the first of two tunnels to Karangahape Station and then on to the Aotea Station in the central city where it will join with the tunnels already built from the Britomart Station and under the lower end of Albert Street.
|
|
Road changes - have your say
|
|
To facilitate the delivery of the future Mt Eden Station, we are proposing road changes on Normanby Road and Ruru/Nikau Street. Detailed planning for construction activities have identified that additional work space is required in these areas and the Link Alliance is proposing that we make changes to these roads for up to two years.
Your feedback will help us decide the final shape of these changes, whether you support the proposals or have concerns with them. You can find out more information and provide feedback on these proposed changes by visiting www.cityraillink.co.nz/mt-eden-station-consultation
|
|
Emergency drill with Tawa the Tower Crane
|
|
At the Link Alliance, the health and safety (H&S) of our workers is our top priority. This month we decided to put our H&S protocols to the test! On a sunny Saturday morning the team re-enacted a rescue operation using Tawa, the large yellow tower crane in the middle of our construction site.
The scenario went like this, whilst accessing the topmost ladder of the crane tower structure (directly below the crane cabin) a crane operator feels sharp chest pain and sudden dizziness. Descending the ladder to the below bottom platform the crane operator calls the crane supervisor by mobile phone advising of the sudden discomfort. The crane supervisor instructs crane operator to rest at the platform area until the arrival of the emergency response team.
The emergency response team did an incredible job responding to the drill, performing a health check on a dummy before lowering it down from the crane using a stretcher and the rope rescue system.
|
|
|
Throughout the duration of the project the team will continue to perform safety drills so the team are prepared for many different scenarios, and go home from work healthy and safe.
|
|
Building our health & safety legacy
|
|
The Link Alliance has proudly commissioned new additions to their health and safety training initiatives.
The health and safety of our workers and the public is the most important thing during the construction of the City Rail Link project. Our health and safety induction process now includes new experiences that simulate what can happen as a result of an incident.
All of our new starters will complete these experiences during their inductions going forward.
By opening this centre, we're again achieving industry leading standards and are leaving a great legacy as it is the first of its kind in New Zealand.
|
|
11.6 metres high pedestrian bridge coming to Normanby Road soon
|
|
On a clear sky night, early this month, our team erected the first segment of the Normanby Road temporary services bridge (TSB). The bridge that stands at an impressive 11.6m high and will carry services such as watermains, internet and electricity and will also provide a safe way for pedestrians to cross the Normanby Road tracks while we work within the rail corridor.
The bridge will be ready for pedestrians at the end of June 2021 and while it is in operation the team will be working hard to build the permanent Normanby Road vehicle bridge that will be ready mid-2022.
|
|
Transporting spoil from A to B
|
|
Truck movements to and from our construction sites are vital to the construction process. Trucks are needed to move large quantities of materials between our sites and off-site storage areas, transport heavy machinery, and move items within site.
With the ongoing construction and upcoming tunnel boring activity, there will be an increased volume of truck and trailers exiting the Mt Eden site onto the designated transport routes. When selecting these routes, safety and travel distance are fundamental considerations.
Link Alliance has strict control measures in place to reduce the impact of trucks on the roads. The image above shows a spoil truck leaving the Mt Eden site through our wheel washing station.
You can find more information regarding Mt Eden Station truck movements via our website https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/mt-eden-work-city-rail-link
|
|
Scheduled work over Easter weekend
|
|
Throughout the year, KiwiRail has short scheduled maintenance periods where trains are not running on the network. These are called a Block of Line (BOL) and it means important work can be performed safely within the rail corridor. This Easter weekend, the Link Alliance are using this BOL window to do important work within the Mt Eden Station section of the rail corridor.
The team will be performing excavations in preparation for the installation of a new stormwater pipe and to install the stair footing for the emergency egress stairs on one of the future station platforms. KiwiRail will also be completing some important improvements and maintenance work across the western line train network.
These works will run from Friday 2 April – Monday 5 April from 8am – 10pm, with noisier work to cease by 7pm. The team will also continue performing night works for the service connections on the Normanby Road pier. If you have questions or concerns about these works, you can contact the Mt Eden Station team on 0800 CRL TALK (press 5 for Mt Eden) or mteden@linkalliance.co.nz
|
|
|
Te Manawa, our visitor information centre at 1 New North Road is now open to the public every Monday from 11 am - 1 pm and from 4 - 6:30 pm, and once a month on Saturday from 11:30 am -1 pm. Already we’ve had several curious folks pop in to check out what the project is all about and of course, our TBM model!
|
|
Upcoming information session
Next Tuesday – 6 April, the Mt Eden Station team will be hosting an information session from 4.30pm – 5.30pm to answer any burning questions you may have. We will also be kicking off a site perimeter tour led by our new Development Response Manager – Piet Ubels. Our regular readers might recognise Piet’s name as he is also the artist who created the incredible hoarding art on Shaddock Street! The tour kicks off at 3.30pm meeting outside Te Manawa and touring down Shaddock, Flower and Nikau Streets.
|
|
Here at the Link Alliance, we have our own dictionary of jargons and acronyms that describe the work activities, plans and permits required to build the three stations and twin tunnels. Check out below what some of those jargons mean:
Up and Down Mains
Down be confounded by this one – it’s simple really! Up Main is the track for Westbound trains and the Down Main is the track for Eastbound trains. To keep a single line running through the Mt Eden site we’re working on one Main and then the other.
Dual Track
Similar to talking about Mains, Dual Track simply means running on both tracks again, or going Up Main and Down Main at the same time. We’re aiming to go Dual Track again mid-2023.
|
|
|
|
