Auckland City Rail Link: More major works announced, minimised disruptions promised

Monday, 5 August 2019

Aotea Station, part of the CRL network, could look like this upon completion. Work on the station will bring more disruptions to the Auckland CBD.

After drawing the ire of struggling Albert St businesses, the company behind Auckland's City Rail Link is promising to minimise disruptions during the next stage of works.

City Rail Link Ltd on Monday released details for the next stage of major CBD works, including the construction of Aotea Station, which will have entrances off Victoria St and Wellesley St.

City Rail Link chief executive Sean Sweeney, right, is promising better communication of timelines for rail link construction.

Albert St businesses have been struggling to make a living alongside major CRL works, which the owners blame for their mounting losses. Relief could be in sight, however, with Auckland Mayor Phil Goff working with central Government on a proposed fund for the business owners.

The next stage of work will extend the Albert St trench further south to Mayoral Drive, which is where Aotea St will be constructed.

A concept image of what the new station could look like from the outside.

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CRLL chief executive Sean Sweeney conceded there was 'no easy way to deliver a job like this in the middle of a busy CBD'.

'I want to assure people that CRL Ltd and the Link Alliance will together do all we can to minimise disruption but a project as big and as complex as CRL presents many challenges that will, unavoidably, impact on life in the city centre for some time,' he said.

Construction of the station and the tunnels to Mayoral Drive would likely start some time in the first quarter of 2020. It would include station excavations along Albert St.

The work would mean closures of the Wellesley St and Victoria St intersections with Albert St at times. While closure times were being finalised, CRLL said the intersections would not be closed at the same time.

Sweeney, who earlier said CRLL's communication with Albert St businesses had not been up to scratch, promised to keep the public updated on construction timetables.

'I acknowledge there will be some who will be nervous about what lies ahead,' he said.

'It will take time to complete this stage of a City Rail Link that will change Auckland forever.

'We appreciate people's understanding as we work to complete it as quickly as possible.'

CRL works, which are due to be completed in 2024, have seriously impacted a cluster of Albert St businesses trying to stay open next to mass excavations along the thoroughfare.

The businesses, led by Shakespeare Hotel owner Sunny Kaushal, have continued to demand compensation for their losses.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, previously mum on the prospect of compensation, has now written to Transport Minister Phil Twyford floating the idea of a hardship fund.

Stuff revealed just over $72,000 has been spent on initiatives to help struggling businesses, despite CRL's $4.4 billion budget.

From Monday, CRLL, which is jointly owned by Auckland Council and the Government, was holding meetings with local people and community groups. These included open days at Griffith Gardens, on the corner of Wellesley St and Mayoral Drive, from 11.30am to 1.30pm until Thursday this week.