Preliminary work for Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) infrastructure project started yesterday with a dawn blessing of the work site by Manawhenua.
More than 80 people gathered on the corner of Victoria and Albert Streets in the central city as kaumatua blessed the worksite between Swanson and Wellesley Streets where the first part of the $2.5 billion project has begun.
CRL project director Chris Meale says the start of work was a milestone for Auckland Transport (AT) and the project team.
“For most Aucklanders, the first piece of work will be largely invisible. A replacement stormwater pipe will be built under Albert Street, removing the existing one when work on the CRL tunnels starts in the middle of next year.”
Mayor Len Brown acknowledged that it was a day that Aucklanders have been contemplating for almost a century.
“In 1923 Railways Minister Gordon Coates gave his support for a city-to-Morningside underground rail line that never happened. In the 1970s, Mayor Sir Dove-Myer Robinson’s rapid-rail proposal met a similar fate,” says Brown.
“In the coming months, Aucklanders will see the CRL starting to take shape”.
Meale said when the works started in earnest midway through next year, people would have to think about how they travel to and from the city.
“Public transport or active modes will be wisest but for those who don’t have that option, using parking buildings closest to city entry points will be sensible rather than driving through the city”, says Meale.
