New Zealand’s government has approved workers to resume work on the City Rail Link, and workers are “champing at the bit” to resume the project, its chief executive said.
Work will resume on April 28. The project will connect the North Auckland (Western Line) at Mount Eden with the Britomart Transport Centre in downtown Auckland.
The project calls for a pair of roughly 2.1-mile-long tunnels running at up to about 138 feet below the city. Officials say the project, once completed, will enable the Auckland rail network to double its capacity.
“Ever since the lockdown began four weeks ago there has been a lot of desk-top planning for a quick re-start and we’re well prepared to come out of the starting blocks fast – we’re champing at the bit and ready to get cracking asap,” City Rail Link Chief Executive Sean Sweeney said in a news release.
“We’re already inspecting all CRL sites and making them ready for a safe return to work next week,” Sweeney added. “Because of our size we’re aware of the big role we have in quickly getting the economy moving again, supporting the contracting and infrastructure industries and seeing our workers safely back on the job.”
Work will soon return to all CRL sites – the C1 contract at Britomart and LowerQueen Street, C2 in Albert Street, C3 at Aotea in central Auckland, Karangahape Road and at MtEden, and C8 on the southern rail line at Ōtāhuhu.
“As one of Auckland—and New Zealand’s—biggest and most important infrastructure projects, theCity Rail Link will play an important role in the post-COVID-19 economic stimulus,” Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said in a news release. “It’s critical that CRL construction resumes quickly to help kick start the economy, get construction and infrastructure industry employees back into work and limit as much as is possible the lockdown’s impact on construction timeframes.”
