In pictures: Auckland's City Rail Link - How New Zealand's biggest transport infrastructure is shaping up
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
City Rail Link (CRL) started work on 1 July 2017 with the completion date not being until 2024/25.But some local businesses say their trade has been affected since the works started.Up to 1600 people will be needed to build the railway when construction peaks, the Government has estimated.Travelling from Mt Eden to Karangahape Road will take three minutes, six minutes to Aotea station, while all the way to Britomart would take nine minutes.The 100 year old former Chief Post Office building at Britomart had to be lifted by one millimetre to sit on a new sub-structure while tunnels were built below it. Lasers measured points around the building every 15 minutes to ensure there was no movement.The twin tunnels are 3.45km long.The CRL is 42 metres underground Auckland city.Design elements including, extending platforms and re-instating a second entrance to the Karangahape Road station, will boost the passenger capacity of the underground link from 36,000 an hour to 54,000.Estimated costs has jumped to $4.4 billion – a $1 billion increase on earlier estimates.
With at least another five years until it's completed, the City Rail link (CRL) underground rail tunnel through central Auckland is being built to make it easier and quicker to get around the city. Here's how it's shaping up.