Minister, mayor react to letter citing ‘concerns’ about progress of Auckland’s CRL
Saturday, 30 November 2024
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has received a copy of a letter citing concerns about the progress of Auckland’s City Rail Link.
The $5.5 billion project - New Zealand’s largest infrastructure development - has been under construction since 2016. Due to open in 2026, it is set to deliver 3.4km of underground rail, connecting parts of central Auckland.
Over the years, the budget and timeline have blown out. Now, fresh concerns about the project’s delivery have been cited in a letter from City Rail Link Ltd, the company set up by the Government and Auckland Council to oversee the project.
The letter was sent to Vinci Construction Grand Projects, a French company leading the Link Alliance - a consortium of seven companies delivering the main stations and tunnels for the CRL project.
In a joint statement to Stuff, the transport minister and the mayor said they had received a copy of the letter, which “raised concerns about several issues relating to the progress of the project”.
“We share the concerns raised about the delivery of this project and we have been clear in our expectations about the need to hold the Alliance to account for delivery.”
The pair said they were advised that, since the letter was sent, there had been “greater alignment” between City Rail Link Ltd and the Link Alliance on the programme and its cost.
“CRL has advised us that the project remains on track for opening to the public in 2026,” the transport minister and the mayor said.
“We are advised that CRL has commissioned a joint review with the Link Alliance. The review will agree to the remainder of the programme and costs. That review is now underway. We are advised that such a review is common at this stage in a large project.”
The pair added: “We remain committed to holding all parties accountable for delivery of this important project and ensuring it is delivered on budget and on time.”
City Rail Link Ltd chief executive Patrick Brockie confirmed to Stuff that French executives from Vinci will soon be travelling to New Zealand.
“Vinci’s visit in December is one of regular visits between the senior executives of the Link Alliance and City Rail Link Limited that have been occurring since 2019,” Brockie said.
“The current round of project reviews are the latest in a series that have been held since project construction began.
“All our meetings and all our reviews and assessments are usual and good commercial practise and are a key part of our wider proactive strategy to deliver a world class railway.”
Auckland Council’s Audit and Risk Committee is set to discuss the matter at a confidential meeting on Tuesday, described in the open agenda as ‘City Rail Link risk update’.
Councillor John Watson, deputy chair of the committee, told Stuff that all reporting to-date had indicated that the project would be delivered on time and within budget.
“The integration and testing phase however has previously been identified as a high risk stage of the project and as I understand it an independent review of the programme and cost is due later in December,” Watson said.
“Until we hear otherwise then the assumption is the project remains on track despite the earlier blow outs in cost.”
In March last year, it was revealed the cost to deliver the CRL had risen by just over $1 billion. Auckland Council at the time blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption caused by the associated lockdowns.
A spokesperson for Auckland Transport told Stuff it was “common for complex major projects like CRL to have a number of risks being actively managed, which the partners keep each other updated on”.
“We’re working closely with City Rail Link Ltd and KiwiRail to be ready to run a great service for train customers when City Rail Link opens in 2026.
“For Auckland Transport this includes a wide range of work, from developing new timetables and updating a number of systems to training staff and, closer to opening, ‘practising’ running new train services at higher frequencies.”