New Lynn railway project milestone

New Lynn town centre's southern and northern sides came a step closer to being united as the rail trench project reached a milestone.

Ontrack said a crucial stage in the project was completed at the weekend when the rail tracks were rotated to run on top of one of the trench walls.

Trains were now running along the top of the northern wall between Rankin and Ward Sts, through the station area, clearing the way for the contractors to begin underground construction of the other wall. The $140 million project will sink duplicated rail tracks beneath road traffic along a 1km trench through the heart of New Lynn. The trains will run below the line of sight - 8m deep - and plans are in place for parts of the track to run completely underground.

Project director Ted Calvert said excavation works would begin later this year, and the project would likely be finished in 2010.