Newstalk ZB
Auckland’s long-awaited City Rail Link is inching closer towards completion, with another milestone struck today as crews tested the trains’ rush-hour timetable. The Herald was granted access to the Te Waihorotiu Station platform this morning to see the trains coming and going during the simulated peak hour test, which saw trains running every four to five minutes across the network. Auckland rail authorities remained tight-lipped about the opening date, only repeating previous claims that it would be open to the public “in the second half of the year”. Beneath central Auckland, the empty platform stood ready, but with years of delays and ongoing disruption to commuters, the real test for the $5.5b project will come when the crowds finally arrive. Both the east-to-west routes and the south-to-west routes were tested at a rate of six trips an hour, meaning there were very few times a train was not docking at the station. AT group manager for rail services, Mark Lambert, said tomorrow they would be testing an additional two trips on both lines per hour. The Herald was granted access to Te Waihorotiu CRL station. Photo / Michael Craig This would be the last planned test before the ambiguous opening date, Lambert said, but Auckland Transport, KiwiRail and Auckland One Rail were feeling “pretty comfortable” about opening. Auckland Transport said the network would have a peak capacity of 19,000 passengers per hour – about a 50% increase from the current 12,000 passengers per hour. Lambert said 138 drivers and 110 train managers tested the trains this week, using around 85 trains The station is separated into three levels: a main ticket area off the street, in this case entering from Wellesley St, Victoria St and Albert St, a station concourse more than 400m long, and a 203m station platform beneath that. This morning, network-wide City Rail Link timetable testing was completed before opening later this year. Photo / Michael Craig As the trains whoosh past, it’s not hard to envisage the platform bustling with commuters. A ceiling dangling 4000 golden aluminium rods hangs at the opening of the station before passengers traverse down the escalators underground. There are natural elements embedded into the design; the skylights, which pop out on Albert St, allowing for natural light, and the faux-wood finish on the ceilings above the station concourse. Circular Māori symbols designed by local iwi involved in the project sit above the platforms on the dark mesh, and a large carving greets users at the entrance. Auckland One Rail CEO Martin Kearney, left, AT group manager rail services Mark Lambert, middle, and KiwiRail CRL programme director Bevan Assink, right, speak to media during the testing. Photo / Michael Craig What was missing today were the passengers. Lambert said there were “some” anxieties about how the network would perform under real life conditions, but was happy with how it had performed so far. There were previous complaints about the disruption to rail users during the testing period, especially as public transport use surges during the spiralling fuel crisis. Lambert said if people wanted the new metro to be the “huge success” promised, they needed to test. “Everybody wants and needs this to be a huge success, so we need to test it.” The City Rail Link was first planned in 2008, but construction did not begin until 2016 under a 50/50 agreement between Auckland Council and the Government. At the time of spades in the ground, the cost was estimated at between $2.8b and $3.4b. In 2019, the cost ballooned to $4.4b, and $5.5b in 2023. Rachel Maher is an investigative reporter covering Auckland issues, education and crime. She started at the Herald as a breaking news journalist in 2022, before joining the Auckland team this year.
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