Project Auckland: Huge milestones clear way for next City Rail Link phase - Sean Sweeney

OPINION

In many ways, there has been a significant shift for City Rail Link these past 12 months that is having a profound and dynamic impact on the delivery of a world-class, game-changing railway for the people of Auckland.

The biggest change affecting all CRL sites is the project’s switch from heavy civil engineering works, which had dominated the project from almost day one, to one where the installation of all the systems — including signalling, lighting, communications and fire protection — needed to run a railway safely and successfully is under way.

Two noteworthy events highlight our rapid transition: we’ve just completed installation of our second track underground, the northbound line from Maungawhau Station at Eden Terrace to downtown’s Waitematā Station (Britomart); and last Christmas Eve, Te Waihorotiu in the central city became the first of our new stations to be “energised” with a permanent supply of power – 22,000 volts of electricity to fuel every single aspect of what will become the country’s busiest station.

The new Maungawhau Station, previously Mt Eden, where the southern end of the CRL connects with the Western Line.

Together, these two huge milestones clear the way for the next critical phase of the project — testing and commissioning. Building the CRL in the middle of the country’s largest city was complex and challenging.

While heavy construction and all our track-laying may now be over, complexities and challenges stay with us as we progress further. Lessons learned from big projects overseas tells us risks remain.

Preparing the existing Auckland rail network for the operation of a completed and brand-new CRL requires the integration of new systems, infrastructure and processes into a network that already exists.

Earlier this year, there was a timely reminder integration is not as simple as connecting one piece of a jigsaw puzzle or one plastic building block with another to get trains running through the CRL tunnels.

During the Christmas break, changes to the signalling system at Waitematā Station were brought forward to align with critical project milestones and workloads across the wider network.

That work did, however, have an immediate impact on the number of trains that could safely arrive and leave from the station within a certain period of time.

That occurred because the work was set up for the new configuration of Waitematā as a through-station, which caused some teething issues with Waitematā's current configuration as terminating or dead-end station.

Workers finish up laying tracks near the CRL’s Te Waihorotiu Station.

Signalling is but one component of a massive testing and commissioning programme that will take months to complete.

The list is long. There are 31 different test plans to complete successfully before the CRL is safe and can make a transport impact on Auckland.

Those plans cover the signal systems, track work, overhead power lines, lighting, station lifts and escalators — New Zealand’s longest escalator is being installed at Karanga-A-Hape Station — fire detection and suppression systems, ventilation, security cameras, communications, and station ticket machines and gates.

All those systems will have to be tested and tested again to make sure they mesh completely with the rest of Auckland’s rail network to do the job they are designed for — keeping everyone safe.

There are five key steps on our testing and commissioning pathway towards successful project completion.

The pathway includes factory acceptance tests — they’re about 40 per cent complete — and static integration tests of installed systems and equipment.

Later in the year, test trains will start running in the tunnels under controlled conditions.

Auckland train drivers will be operating trains underground and dealing with a variety of scenarios they could encounter below the city. The CRL is one of the steepest sections of railway in New Zealand. From Maungawhau, the line drops 70m to Waitematā, which sits below sea level. At its deepest point, the CRL runs 42m underneath Auckland’s busy central motorway junction. More than 40 different operational scenarios will need to be checked for safety.

Test trains will also allow the CRL’s operators and the city’s emergency services to test and evaluate responses to a wide range of emergency scenarios below ground — again, another new dimension the CRL will bring to Auckland.

Testing and commissioning is not work the CRL will complete on its own. Our approach is to collaborate with others.

There is an informal alliance involving City Rail Link Ltd, Auckland Transport and KiwiRail which will operate and maintain a completed CRL. We will be supported by the CRL’s main contractor, Link Alliance, and by Auckland One Rail, the city’s train operator.

Approximately 75 core personnel will lead the testing and commissioning phase. They will share resources and their expertise to get the best possible outcomes for the city by delivering the great dividends everyone wants.

The challenges around testing and commissioning should not be minimised. Our two biggest risks to the practical completion of CRL are individual subsystems not meeting performance requirements, and a lack of integration with the wider rail network.

Dr Sean Sweeney, chief executive of CRL. Photo / Dean Purcell

That is why our testing and commissioning programme is so comprehensive and thorough. New Zealand has never built an underground metro railway before. Simply put, it is a case of not knowing what we don’t know until we test it.

Nevertheless, CRL has much to celebrate, and to reassure people that we are on track, our work is about 80 per cent done. We are ticking off milestone after milestone, marking our rapid progress.

Progress towards the project’s finish line remains intense. We stay committed to completing the CRL in November 2025. Underpinning that commitment is a determination that our testing and commissioning programme will allow the project to hand over to Auckland Transport and KiwiRail a CRL that meets the highest standards of safety, is fully fit for purpose and will transform travel in Auckland.

Fast Facts

• City Rail Link is ambitious and visionary — the country’s largest transport infrastructure project, which will allow a dynamic and international city to grow and thrive.
• A world-class CRL will better connect Auckland’s entire rail network — when fully operational, there will be more trains and journeys will be easier and quicker in and out of Central Auckland.
• Twin 3.45km-long tunnels up to 42m underground connect downtown’s Waitematā Station (Britomart) and suburban Maungawhau Station at Eden Terrace.
• Two new underground stations — Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-A-Hape — will improve central city access.
• The CRL will contribute to job growth, promote commercial and housing development, and its landscaping programmes will help make the central city a more attractive destination.
• More than world-class — CRL’s successful collaboration with mana whenua will deliver a project unique for the journey ahead by combining modern technology with designs from the traditional past of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland.
• The Crown and Auckland Council are joint funders of the $5.493 billion project.
• CRL remains on track to be completed in late November 2025, when it will be handed over to Auckland Transport and KiwiRail, which will be responsible for its operation and maintenance

Dr Sean Sweeney is the chief executive of City Rail Link Ltd (CRL).

CRL is an advertising sponsor of the Herald’s Project Auckland report.