New Zealand's NZ$5.5 Billion Auckland City Rail Link Officially Begins Service

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 13, New Zealand's Auckland City Rail Link officially entered public passenger service, marking the transition of this underground railway project, with a total investment of approximately NZ$5.5 billion, from the construction phase to the operational phase. The project includes 3.45 kilometers of twin-track underground railway, two new underground stations, and the upgrade of the existing Waitematā and Maungawhau stations. The works achieved substantial completion at the end of June and were handed over to Auckland Transport and KiwiRail.

City Rail Link held its official opening event on September 11, and from approximately 5 a.m. on September 13 began operating its first public passenger trains; from September 14 it operated its first normal weekday timetable, with train intervals of approximately 4 to 5 minutes during peak periods through the new station section. After the new railway entered service, railway lines that previously terminated at Waitematā in the city center gained the conditions for through-running operations.

The project is funded 50% each by the New Zealand central government and Auckland Council. The main works are divided into contracts including C1, C2, and C3, among which the largest C3 contract was implemented by Link Alliance, whose members include Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Soletanche Bachy, Downer, WSP, AECOM, Tonkin + Taylor, and City Rail Link Ltd. The scope of work includes the main tunnels, underground stations, the Western Line railway connection, and railway systems.

The tunnel works were constructed using large tunnel boring equipment, including approximately 1.6 kilometers of bored tunnel, with the tunnel boring machine installing a cumulative total of 1,067 ring segments and excavating and transporting approximately 130,000 tonnes of spoil; the two tunnels of the entire project have a total length of 3.45 kilometers, and more than 64,200 cubic meters of concrete were used during construction. The line also reserves conditions for future operation of electric multiple units of up to 9 cars.

The railway network entering service simultaneously launched three operating lines: East-West, South-City, and Onehunga-West, and opened new underground stations including Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape as well as the upgraded Maungawhau station. Preliminary data from the morning peak on September 14 already showed that railway passenger volumes that morning increased by approximately 25% compared with the same period on the previous Monday.

Before official operations, Auckland Transport, KiwiRail, Auckland One Rail, and the project construction team completed a testing system covering stations, tunnels, signaling, power supply, emergency response, and timetables, with overall preparations involving approximately 16,000 individual tests. After the works achieved substantial completion at the end of June, the operator continued to complete operational preparations, personnel training, and final operational testing, before transitioning to public passenger service on September 13.