Construction of Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) has officially begun.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held in the city on June 2 attended by Mayor Len Brown, Auckland Transport chairman Dr Lester Levy, the Prime Minister John Key and Minister of Transport Simon Bridges.
CRL will extend Auckland’s commuter rail network from Britomart through the city centre to Mount Eden station, creating new city centre stations at Aotea Square and Karangahape Road.
Turning Britomart into a through station will significantly increase capacity and the frequency of services across the network. CRL will also pave the way for future extensions to the North Shore and the airport.
Mayor Len Brown said: “Auckland, we sure have waited, this project has been debated and tossed around for more than 90 years. It was first flagged in 1923 by the then Minister of Railways. Now we are finally pushing the “Go” button.”
The $2.5 billion project will involved the construction of a 3.4-kilometre twin-bore tunnel beneath Auckland city centre.
