The City Rail Link is almost done with the new stations shaping up.
Video / Corey Fleming / City Rail Link
Aucklandrail passengers face further disruptions as work begins this weekend on connecting the City Rail Link to the existing network and other upgrades.
The rail network will be closed from late evening on Thursday until early Monday morning.
Other work during the closure includes electrification and rail network rebuild work from Papakura to Pukekohe, Middlemore Station upgrades and the new western power feed.
KiwiRail chief infrastructure officer Andre Lovatt said there is a low risk that integrating the new signalling system will result in disruption because it has been designed to minimise disruption to commuter passengers.
Work on the electrification project between Papakura and Pukekohe. Photo / KiwiRail
However, there may be unexpected issues that have impacts on Monday morning services when trains begin operating again. “In the event of any issues, we will update passengers as soon as possible,” he said.
Lovatt said a huge amount of work is required to integrate all of the CRL systems and other parts of the network, such as electrification between Papakura and Pukekohe.
“At some point, there will inevitably be complexities that will result in disruption for passengers,” he said.
The signalling works are taking place this weekend at Morningside, Newmarket, Quay Park, Waitematā (Britomart) and Penrose to reduce the risk of multiple, smaller updates.
A test train will run on Sunday to ensure the signals have been successfully integrated.
Buses will replace all trains, and a Puhinui Express bus will run from Waitematā Station to Puhinui Station via Newmarket to connect customers to the airport.
Signalling is a sophisticated traffic light system for the railway network, showing drivers when trains can move safely and their route.
Working on connecting the City Rail Link to the existing system starts this weekend. Photo / Corey Fleming
Connecting the signalling systems will allow trains to operate seamlessly and safely between the new tunnels and the existing network, said KiwiRail.
The work is part of a huge and complex programme of testing, commission and system integration between the new infrastructure and system for the CRL, existing systems on the trains, existing rail network systems and Auckland Transport’s IT and communication systems. The work will take months.
CRL Ltd chief executive Dr Sean Sweeney said evidence from projects overseas tells us the testing and commissioning phase, which the CRL project has entered, is the most complicated phase of building a new railway.
“Not only do individual systems need to work as planned, but all the systems need to work together, as expected.
“New Zealand has never built an underground metro railway before. Simply put, it is a case of not always knowing what we don’t know until we commission and test it,” Sweeney said.
CRL Ltd executive director Dr Sean Sweeney. Photo / Dean Purcell
The warning about disruptions to the rail network follows ongoing disruptions to the rail network this year.
Last Wednesday, an issue with track points near Middlemore threw commuters’ travel plans into chaos for about seven hours.
Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson blasted the network as “third world”, saying Aucklanders cannot rely on trains and called for the agencies which operate, maintain and own the city’s railways and services to work together to solve the compounding problems.
It also comes amid a strike by two groups of workers who maintain and operate the city’s trains. Timetables have been slashed to 20-minute frequencies due to the strikes.
Earlier this year, trains were suspended due to hot tracks and when the rail signal went down. Much of the rail network has also been closed for a $550 million rail network rebuild involving full replacement of railway foundations, tracks and sleepers.
