City Rail Link Press Release

The team at City Rail Link wished everyone a happy New Year (Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou)! They said: “we’re back and ready for a busy year working on the next phase of works – fitting out the tunnels and stations for Tāmaki Makaurau’s future world-class rail system.”

Last year, CRL celebrated its most prominent civil milestone yet, as the Dame Whine Cooper tunnel boring machine (TBM) had its final breakthrough beneath the city center into Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea). As believed, this event celebrated the end of the tunnel-boring phase for the project and the completion of the two 3.45 km-long CRL tunnels.

CRL claimed that works this year will concentrate on applying the rail tracks in the tunnels and fitting out the three new stations – Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station, Karanga-a-Hape Station (Karangahape) and Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea).

As reported, the progress will become more visible aboveground as the station constructions near completion, solid hoardings recede, and road cones are terminated from the city streets to allow the beginning of the urban realm works.

What is envisioned to see from the project this year is as follows:

• Applying rail tracks and systems, containing overhead lines in the tunnels
• Completion of North Auckland Line works and a return to double-track services for the Western Line at Maungawhau/Mount Eden Station
• Stations buildings receive their façades (architectural treatments), systems (such as electrical and plumbing) and station fit-out
• Victoria and Albert Streets intersection, near the Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea), will reopen after a two-year shutdown
• Announcement of the revised CRL project cost and completion date, taking into account Covid-19 impacts
• The City Rail Link visitor center in Eden Terrace (at 1 New North Road) will be getting a refresh and the Te Pūkaki info center near the Te Waihorotiu Station (Aotea) will move closer to the Sky Tower
• Solid wooden hoardings will be replaced by temporary fences for urban realm works (these are works to return the streetscape to normal)