Auckland's Mt Eden train station to close until 2024 for City Rail Link works

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Work has started on the southern-most part of the City Rail Link project at Mt Eden earlier this year, marked by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, CRL CEO Sean Sweeney and Transport Minister Phil Twyford.

A central Auckland train station will close to the public for the next four years as work on the city's rail upgrade ramps up.

The $4.4 billion City Rail Link project will see the construction of two new stations and twin 3.4km tunnels to connect the region's existing rail lines.

Mt Eden station closes on July 11 and the adjoining Porters Avenue railway crossing will be closed to vehicles from May 29 after delays due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Construction on the City Rail Link will see Mt Eden train station closed for four years.

Dale Burtenshaw, deputy project director of Link Alliance, which is building the stations and tunnels for City Rail Link Ltd, said the decision to close the train station was not made lightly.

City Rail Link is a $4.4 billion project that will see two new stations built in Mt Eden and on Karangahape Road.

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“Our priority is safety and if the station remains open there is a risk to workers and the public walking through what will be a live and complex construction site,” he said.

“Building a temporary station was also investigated but there was not enough room inside our construction zone.”

Access to businesses on Porters Ave and nearby Fenton and Haultain streets will remain open, and suggested new routes include New North Rd or View and Wynyard roads.

But Burton acknowledged closing vehicle access to Porters Avenue would be “inconvenient”.

“The extra lines and all the other changes mean it will not be possible to maintain a safe rail crossing for vehicles between Porters Avenue and Wynyard Road, even when we’ve finished construction,” he said.

Access across the crossing for people on foot, or with a bike, mobility aid, scooter or pram will remain the same until a footbridge is built.

A free bus service has been introduced between Kingsland and Newmarket running past the closed station, and began running on July 5.

Auckland Transport spokesperson Mark Lambert said the new 64 route would fill in the missing connection between Mt Eden and Newmarket, while providing new connections for those in surrounding suburbs.

“We’re making the 64 service free, recognising the inconvenience of the station closure to residents and commuters in the area,' he said.

Buses will run every 15 minutes between 7am-7pm every day. The service will be less frequent outside those hours, matching rail timetables.

Works around Mt Eden train station, include relocating utilities, re-developing Mt Eden station, laying four tracks instead of the present two, excavating a trench for two of those tracks to connect with the CRL tunnels, and building traffic and pedestrian bridges.

The City Rail Link project is scheduled for completion in 2024 and involves the construction of two new station in Mt Eden and on Karangahape Rd.

Construction on the project was stalled for five weeks when the nation entered alert level 4 lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the project has since implemented double shifts and extended working hours for up to 16 hours a day at some of its sites.