The first stage of the City Rail Link (CRL) project will be built on the site of the Downtown Mall, between lower Queen Street and Albert Street.
The construction will take place as part of the ‘Commercial Bay’ development by property company Precinct.
First visible steps of the CRL
With the re-situating of stormwater pipes on lower Albert Street this month and the demolition of the Downtown Mall in May 2016, Aucklanders will see the first steps in the construction of the CRL.
Mayor Len Brown said discussions with the prime minister, minister of finance and minister of transport were going well, with the government committed to the CRL project.
“The only remaining issue is the timing of government funding.”
The 'new Auckland'
The 39-storey, $681 million Commercial Bay development will make an outstanding contribution to what people are calling the 'new Auckland'. It is one of several major new developments that will arrive in Auckland's city centre in the next few years.
“The private sector is demonstrating its confidence in Auckland's future by investing billions in our city centre," says the mayor.
"Central Auckland is New Zealand's most productive, largest and fastest growing commercial and employment centre. It has long been said Auckland is the powerhouse of the New Zealand economy. That is now a reality."
“Growth is the reason we are backing private sector investment with better public transport. We simply cannot meet that growth by moving more people into the CBD by car.
"The CRL will more than double the number of people we can bring into the CBD by our new electric trains. These are exciting times.”
