Auckland’s $5.5 billion City Rail Link, the country’s largest transport project, is on track to open later next year, with much work still to do, but no “show-stoppers” that can’t be resolved, officials said.
CRL Ltd chief executive Pat Brockie told Auckland councillors today that physical works will be largely completed this month and good progress is being made on some 16,000 tests throughout the 3.4km of tunnels and stations.
He said there were cost pressures, but he was confident of staying within the $5.5b funding envelope.
Despite making good progress on the final stages of the mega project, the Link Alliance contractors are not due to hand over the project to Auckland Transport (AT) and KiwiRail until June next year.
The handover was scheduled for November this year, but has been delayed for practical reasons.
Officials and politicians are being cagey about the opening date for passengers, but two sources have told the Herald the opening is currently pencilled in for September next year.
Early signs of progress include the opening of Beresford Square, outside one of two entrances to Karanga-a-Hape Station, on October 3, and the Waitematā Station Plaza, at the rear of the renamed Britomart Station, on December 4. Meanwhile, Albert St, where years of disruption took a heavy financial and emotional toll on many business owners, reopened to buses and other vehicles on November 29.
Publicity material for the City Rail Link (CRL) has promised “More Trains, Faster Journeys”, with AT saying the new timetable from day one would provide a peak capacity of about 19,000 passengers per hour, a significant step up from the current capacity of 12,000.
AT rail services group manager Mark Lambert today said the CRL would connect the Eastern Line and the Western Line via the CRL tunnels, providing new direct connections. The Southern Line will run in both directions via a loop through the central city.
Services will run from Onehunga to the west, but initially only during off‑peak hours.
AT’s fleet of 72 trains is being boosted by 23 new trains built in Mexico, with the last of these coming off the production line last week. About 160 new staff are in the process of being hired, including 30 train drivers, 25 train managers, 35 station and security staff, plus 56 staff to maintain and clean the CRL stations.
The briefing also highlighted several upcoming rail network closures ahead of the CRL’s passenger opening. These include the last big summer push, lasting a month from December 28, closures over Waitangi weekend, two short closures in February and March and three separate closures between Easter weekend and April 17.
Without this work, AT public transport director Stacey van der Putten said, running more trains, more often would not be possible.
“This is New Zealand’s first underground railway and a major change for Auckland’s train network. Only through testing can we find and fix any issues before opening day,” van der Putten said.
“Please stick with us; better journeys are around the corner.”
KiwiRail’s David Gordon, who oversees capital projects, said ageing foundations are being rebuilt and modern drainage installed over the summer at Henderson Station, as well as a third platform and a new track to allow space for trains to pick up and drop off passengers and change direction back to the city.
Gordon said another task was to test the CRL timetable on the rail network as if it were opening day, scheduled for January 26.
In response to a question from councillor Mike Lee about rail closures after the CRL opens, Gordon said the network would still face the routine work and shutdowns common to any rail system, but gave an assurance there would be no repeat of a full network closure.
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