Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) celebrated a major milestone on 6 December with the breakthrough from the Albert Street tunnels to CRL tunnels across the Commercial Bay site, Downtown Auckland.
Mayor Phil Goff says, "With the Albert Street trench excavation complete we are one step closer to delivering Auckland's first underground rail line.
"The CRL is the most significant infrastructure project in New Zealand. When complete it will carry more than 50,000 passengers during peak hours and completely transform how we move about our city.
"The CRL will not only change the way we travel through Auckland's central city, it will significantly enhance the efficiency of our entire public transport network, freeing up our streets from bus congestion and delivering more efficient and frequent train services across the city.
The tunnel breakthrough has been a gradual process over the past month that has required a staged approach to excavation, construction of shotcrete support between piles, and demolition of temporary concrete piles separating the two sites.
The tunnels between the two sites meet under the Customs Street traffic deck, which was built last year to keep traffic moving while the work is carried out underneath.
Early next year the tunnels from the former CPO (Britomart) site will also connect to tunnels across the Commercial Bay site – providing a complete tunnel section from Britomart through to Wyndham Street.
