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Te Waihorotiu (Aotea)-newsletter - October 2022

Te Waihorotiu (Aotea)-newsletter - October 2022
Te Waihorotiu Station newsletter - October 2022
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Thursday, 27 October 2022
Some of our south zone underground team in front of the western tunnel completed last month. 

Kia ora Nigel,

We welcomed the warmer season here at Te Waihorotiu Station with a new outdoor public art gallery installed on our Victoria Street hoardings, as part of Heart of the City's Art in the City programme - this year taking the theme of spring (renewal and new beginnings). The theme of spring speaks to the midtown regeneration programme and to the construction works across our site as we continue to reach new milestones and look ahead to our above-ground streetscaping works beginning early next year. 

Thank you to those who attended last month's Community Liaison Group (CLG) meeting, held at Cafe Midnight Express (59 Victoria St West). You can read the minutes and presentation here.

Have you heard of the "Tamariki in the Tunnels" competition for five intermediate school-aged kids to walk the CRL tunnels? Entries close Monday 31 October.

As always, to contact us here at Te Waihorotiu Station you can email us at: aotea@linkalliance.co.nz or call 0800 CRL TALK (0800 275 8255 and press option 3) to speak to us. 

Kind regards,

The Te Waihorotiu Station team
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Link Alliance sponsors Art in the City 2022

Our Te Waihorotiu Station public info centre (corner of Victoria & Elliott Sts) was packed during the popular city centre Late Night Art event this month. 

We installed works from eleven local artists for an exhibition called 'Urban Walls'. The info centre courtyard was transformed with a wrap-around mural, and hoarding walls outside 55 Victoria St W have been renewed. These artworks aim to collectively reflect our diverse urban space with uplifting meanings behind them all. The City Rail Link is not only New Zealand's largest transport project - it is also the country's largest art project. 

Thanks again to Heart of the City and Auckland Council, local businesses Kingston St Cafe and Liquor and Tobacco City (for kai and drinks on the night), DJ Tententen, Dylan Huata (dance performer), MC Taups, the artists and all our visitors.  These works will be around for a while so do check them out! 
Visitors in the newly muraled info centre courtyard during Late Night Art. 
One of the artists GK Cavalier, who is also a Link Alliance Traffic Controller (TC), speaks to a Late Night Art tour group about his futuristic artwork on the hoardings inspired by our worksite machinery. 

Faces of Te Waihorotiu Station:
Atarangi Thompson

Hundreds of us come to work each day at Te Waihorotiu Station and we all have a story to tell. Each month we aim to profile some of our crew. This month we turn the spotlight on Atarangi Thompson, Environmental Team Administrator.

Also with the recent arrival of the TBM here at Te Waihorotiu, check out Grayson Canton, TBM Shift Engineer, to find out what it was like being on board the machine during the final breakthrough.

Community and business support

As the underground station concrete structure nears completion, we have been taking some of our small business neighbours on special underground tours as a sign of our appreciation for their patience during the construction and also to show them the huge progress being made - often right below their shop doorsteps!
 
Pictured here are owners of Mexican Café (67 Victoria Street West), a restaurant which has been an Auckland favourite since 1983!

You could also win an underground tour of Te Waihorotiu Station for you and a friend/whānau member as well as monthly chances to win a $100 voucher to spend locally. To enter, spend a minimum $5 at a participating business, fill in the entry form with the receipt and drop into the entry box provided there. Good luck - you could be our next winner!

Also, our regular public perimeter site tours continue. These tours always fill up fast, so reserve your spot now! 

 A reminder that applications for the Link Alliance Small Business Support Programme (SBSP) close on 31 October 2022. This year, the SBSP has given free and independent business advice alongside $3000 microgrants to dozens of local businesses across the station construction area. 
Huge thanks to the scrumptious kai from boutique Kingston St Cafe (16 Kingston St) and refreshing beverages from Liquor and Tobacco City (45 Victoria St W) which we had as part of the recent Late Night Art event. 

Te Waihorotiu Station construction progress

South Zone - Mayoral Drive area
  • Concrete façade "sky" and "earth" element panels continue to be installed on the Wellesley Street entrance building (superstructure). Next year louvres and shingles will be installed on top of these dark concrete panels (representing the tears of Ranginui), the orientation of which will allow for air intake and exhaust.
  • Underground, internal blockwork wall install has made great progress and soon will transition to partition wall fit out using plasterboard. 
  • Removal of the TBM has been completed with front cutterhead and shield lifted to surface. Gantry systems are now back in Maungawhau / Mount Eden Station for further disassembling. 
Concrete façade "sky" panels on the superstructure continue to be installed and sealed. 
The TBM cutterhead and shield have been lifted out, and the rest of the TBM dragged back to Maungawhau to be fully dismantled and sent back overseas for repurposing. Both CRL tunnels are now completed and rail system fit-out work has begun. 
Over track exhaust (OTE) paneling installed for the station's underground ventilation system - a large duct running the length of the station using precast concrete panels. The yellow ducting shown here is temporary ventilation for our construction crews. 
Central Zone - Albert Street from Wellesley to Victoria
  • A major station milestone was reached this month with the final base level  excavation breakthrough - this has now opened up the full station alignment below the B1 concourse level. In just a few weeks, all station excavation will be complete - follow our social media channels to hear the latest. 
  • The handover process of the B1 concourse level for rail systems team fit-out works (beginning with cable tray installation) has begun. 
A closer look at the breakthrough area, which now opens up the full alignment of the future Te Waihorotiu Station. Excavation is achieved using our telescopic excavator located at surface level (see its bucket in the top left). 
Watch the video of the breakthrough moment by clicking above.
Some of our central zone team pouring base level concrete, with the remainder of site excavation to complete just in the distance. 
Victoria Street Zone - from Federal to Elliott
  • The Victoria Street eastern entrance to the station (near Elliott St) is now structurally complete! 
  • The focus now turns to the Victoria Street western entrance (near Sky Tower), with its glass and other above-ground materials set to be installed in the coming months. Below ground, the team are now “breaking through” from this entrance into the main station alignment below Albert Street.
Both Victoria Street entrances are now visible and are starting to take shape at surface level.
Here is the Victoria St eastern entrance near Elliott Street. 
Inside the Victoria St western entrance looking toward the diaphragm wall separating the entrance and station - this wall will soon be cut open and connect into the station.
North Zone - Albert Street from Victoria to Wyndham
  • Extension of the running tunnel boxes south from Wyndham Street continues. The outer walls are now complete, with central walls and roof structure for the tunnel boxes progressing well.
  • Work here is essentially connecting into the existing "C2" running tunnels from Waitematā Station (Britomart), linking into the Te Waihorotiu Station concourse and platform structure. 
  • Train track infrastructure continues to be laid in these tunnels. 
Another central wall panel carefully formed and set with concrete. 
Looking towards Waitematā Station. You can see the progress made on the outer walls and roof panels that link these running tunnels into Te Waihorotiu Station. 

Midtown's regeneration steps up a gear

The regeneration of midtown is well underway with plans announced for the transformation of Wellesley and Victoria Streets.

This month Auckland Council's Head of City Centre Programmes Jenny Larking and Te Waihorotiu Station Community Manager Shaun Sutton spoke to Newshub's Lauren Hendrikson on the future of the station and the surrounding area. Watch the video above and read the article here.
Have you seen the new innovative multi-use Waihorotiu path on Queen St?

This month, Auckland Council also announced the first wayfinding patterns on the new innovative multi-use Waihorotiu path on Queen St, due for completion next month. 

Read more about the regeneration of midtown

Link Alliance is proud to have supported this year’s Auckland Heritage Festival by sponsoring public tours taken by historian Edward Bennett, who shared captivating stories about the history of Auckland's midtown.
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Contact Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea) at:
E: aotea@linkalliance.co.nz 
P: 0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) then press 3

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Te Waihorotiu Station newsletter - September 2022
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Friday, 30 September 2022

Kia ora ,

Another huge month at Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea)!  In addition to the significant progress building the underground train station, we hosted the Prime Minister and celebrated the final breakthrough of the Dame Whina Cooper Tunnel Boring Machine - a major milestone marking the end of tunnelling on the City Rail Link project. 

Also this month CRL Ltd's CEO Sean Sweeney provided some more information about duration and costs of the project - read his full piece here. 

Photographer Mark Barber has been documenting the CRL construction since 2019 and is a regular visit to our site here in midtown. This month several of his photos were featured in NZ Geographic magazine.

Good to see some of our neighbours at this week's Community Liaison Group meeting, held at Cafe Midnight Express (59 Victoria St West). The presentation and minutes will shortly be available to read here

As always, to contact us here at Te Waihorotiu Station you can email us at: aotea@linkalliance.co.nz or call 0800 CRL TALK (0800 275 8255 and press option 3) to speak to us. 

Kind regards,

The Te Waihorotiu Station team
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Mission accomplished - CRL tunnelling complete

This month CRL's Dame Whina Cooper tunnel boring machine (TBM) had her final breakthrough, marking the end of the tunnel boring phase of the project and the completion of the twin 1.6km tunnels. The TBM was named after a truly ground-breaking New Zealander. Her hard work will forever alter how people travel around our city.

The TBM is now being dismantled and lifted out of the underground area. It will then be transported to Auckland's port and shipped back to its manufacturer, Herrenknecht, in China. The TBM was custom built for central Auckland soil conditions, however parts of the TBM are intended to be reused for future projects.

So what's next? Now that both tunnels have been built, the CRL tunnels will move into the rail system stage. The complex work involves rail signals, tracks and other infrastructure so that it can all link up to the existing Auckland rail network.
Watch the moment of the final breakthrough.
Hundreds of workers from all around the world have joined the CRL project. 
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, Dame Whina Cooper’s daughter Hinerangi Puru Cooper and CRL Chief Executive Dr Sean Sweeney prepare to cut the cake marking the end of Dame Whina Cooper's final tunnelling journey. 

Faces of Te Waihorotiu Station:
Sione Fanguna

Hundreds of us come to work each day at Te Waihorotiu Station and we all have a story to tell. Each month we aim to profile some of our crew. This month we turn the spotlight on Sione Fanguna, Foreman of our Victoria Street Zone team.

Also this month, our Utilities Section Engineer Roseanne was profiled in the OurAuckland Magazine for a feature on the regeneration of midtown. Read Roseanne's story here. 

Our people are everything! We supported the MATES In Construction "Fly the Flag" day this month - this is a very important initiative focused on suicide prevention in construction. 

Community and business support

Safety and security around our construction site remains a key focus with a wide range of measures in place, including CCTV and full-time security guards. This month, after the completion of a major utility relocation package, we widened the Victoria Street public footpath to make the area feel more welcoming and open. 

Following engagement with the local business community, we have also recently installed a giant neon sign on Victoria Street - near Tony's Lord Nelson Restaurant (37 Victoria St West). This is aimed at attracting more visitors to the area and improving lighting/safety nearby. Come check it out, day or night! 

We love supporting local - take a look below at the various business support initiatives we delivered in September.  A reminder also that applications for the Link Alliance Small Business Support Programme remain open until 31 October 2022, with free and independent business advice available alongside $3000 microgrants. 
An internal staff competition this month awarded several workers with vouchers to some of the delicious local restaurants including Fuga Japanese, Cafe Midnight Express, and Chawlas Indian
We purchased a lovely bouquet of flowers from Roma Blooms Florist (93 Albert St) as a gift to Hinerangi Cooper, marking the successful breakthrough of the Dame Whina Cooper TBM. 
This month we took as special guests the owner-operators of Peppers Cafe (99 Albert St) to directly below where their shop is located at street level. Thank you to Sam and his team for the delicious food our crews love!
Howlin' Wolf Cuts & Coffee (17 Wellesley St West) featured in OurAuckland's recent "People of Midtown" series. 

October activations and events

It is never a dull moment around the Te Waihorotiu Station area - even during its regeneration midtown is a great area to work, live and play!

This month our regular public site tours continue. These tours always fill up fast, so reserve your spot now! 

Later in the month, join our Auckland Heritage Festival Tours of the Aotea Quarter, and Support Local to Win $100 while you are here! 

We are also proud to be supporting Art in the City 2022. Find out more here and visit our outdoor art galleries from 7 October. 

Te Waihorotiu Station construction progress

South Zone - Mayoral Drive area
  • Concrete façade panels continue to be installed on the Wellesley Street entrance building, including the "earth" element panels on the northern and eastern elevations. 
  • Underground, the focus is on internal blockwork walls and the transition to partition wall fit-out using plasterboard. We also continue to install the over-track ventilation system - a large duct running the length of the station using precast concrete panels.
  • Removal of the TBM continues - her front cutterhead and shield are lifted to surface, while her gantry systems are dragged back to Maungawhau / Mount Eden Station through the tunnel she has just bored. 
Internal steel partition walls are going up, ready to be lined. This area will eventually be a back-of-house zone for train station staff. 
The TBM cutterhead is prepared to be lifted up to surface, using one of the largest cranes in New Zealand. 
Link Alliance participates in a range of initiatives to inspire and support young people in their career choices. This week students from Glenfield College were welcomed to site - pictured here on the roof of the Wellesley St entrance building. 

Central Zone - Albert Street from Wellesley to Victoria
  • A big milestone has been reached this week with the final concourse level (B1) concrete poured. The whole Albert Street station concourse alignment in now concreted! 
  • This means our handover of this concourse level area for fit-out works is just around the corner. 
  • Deeper down, the structures team is in the final push to remove all dirt to the base slab level (B4), using our telescopic excavator located at surface level.
Our central zone team pouring the final concourse level concrete - job well done! 
One of the station's four concourse cross-beams, as seen from our camera hanging below the roof of the station and looking down to our excavation area. 
Victoria Street Zone - from Federal to Elliott
  • With the completion of the roof structure across Victoria Street, underground excavation continues at pace -- all dirt is due to be removed by the end of the year.
  • Both the Victoria Street eastern and western entrances are now clearly visible - it's really starting to feel like a train station! 
  • Utilities relocation and upgrade works also continue, carefully sequenced and coordinated with the construction of the station structures and utility service providers.
Both Victoria Street entrances are now visible and are starting to take shape at surface level. 
Below Victoria Street, internal wall construction is now well-underway as we prepare to handover these areas to our systems and internal fit-out teams.
North Zone - Albert Street from Victoria to Wyndham
  • Work to extend the running tunnel boxes continues to progress south from Wyndham Street. In this area we are building outer walls, a central wall, and finally a roof for the tunnel boxes. 
  • Work here is essentially connecting into the existing "C2" running tunnels from Waitematā Station (Britomart), linking into the Te Wai Horotiu Station concourse and platform structure. 
  • Train track infrastructure has also started to be laid in these tunnels. 
The first section of precast roof for the running tunnels is carefully lifted into place - this is tricky work and requires expert telehandler operating skills. 
Our north zone crew having a quick smile for the camera, while working within our roof formworks. 
Train track concrete is poured in the running tunnels linking Waitematā Station to Te Waihorotiu Station - ready for the tracks themselves to be laid. 

Prime Minister "walks the tunnels"

This month Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Transport Minister Michael Wood were invited on a "buggy" trip through one of the completed tunnels linking Maungawhau / Mount Eden Station with Karanga-a-Hape Station (Karangahape) and Te Waihorotiu Station. The CRL is our country's largest transport infrastructure project and we were delighted to show off the progress achieved to date. 

Community survey feedback;
Social Impact & Business Disruption annual report

The CRL designation conditions require an annual review of the project's implementation of its Social Impact & Business Disruption Delivery Work Plans. Following a data gathering and community feedback process led by Link Alliance participant AECOM, the final Te Wai Horotiu Station report is now available. Thank you for your contributions to this work. The report can be downloaded online here (please scroll to the bottom of the page). 

The Link Alliance also regularly undertakes community satisfaction surveys. Last month we received several positive comments about proactive communication and information about upcoming works. The Free Friday Coffee Mornings for our neighbours also have been much appreciated. Some suggestions have been offered such as using more QR codes across the site to advertise contact information, and ensuring works timeframes are clear and accurate across our different channels. Thank you for your feedback!

Midtown regeneration:
"It will feel like a new city"

Artist impression of the Wellesley Street Bus Improvements project (just outside Te Waihorotiu Station, between Albert & Queen Sts)

Building Te Waihorotiu Station is the largest construction project in midtown, but there are plenty of other public projects happening nearby as part of regeneration in the area. 

This month, Auckland Council announced indicative construction timing for the Wellesley / Victoria Street "system".  Once Te Waihorotiu Station opens, both these streets will have been transformed into a bus corridor and tree-lined pedestrian-prioritised street respectively. 

Read more about the regeneration of midtown on OurAuckland. 

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Contact Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea) at:
E: aotea@linkalliance.co.nz 
P: 0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) then press 3

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