City Rail Link: New drone footage gives sneak peak at Auckland’s underground railway line

The first of the two 3.45km tracks that make up the City Rail Link has been laid - now new drone footage has been released giving commuters a sneak peek.

The last piece of the southbound track, which will carry trains from Waitematā (Britomart) to Maungawhau Station was laid this week.

The footage takes viewers along the newly completed track and out through the Victoria St and Karanga-a-Hape stations.

City Rail Link chief executive Dr Sean Sweeney said the milestone was one of the most significant achievements of the project.

“It was challenging underground work where the terrain was steep and tunnel curves tight, but it helps mark a big physical crossover from a heavy construction project to the development of what will become a world-class railway with a huge impact on Aucklander’s lives.”

Installation of the first track began in August 2022. Link Alliance and Martinus New Zealand installed the track on what is one of the steepest sections of the railway in New Zealand.

From Waitematā, which sits below sea level, the track climbs around 70m to Maungawhau. At its deepest point, the track runs 42m underneath Auckland’s busy Karanga-a-Hape.

In the tunnel near Te Waihorotiu Station in central Auckland, two of the track laying team, Alexandra Favre, a Link Alliance track engineer, and Amy Khune, a Martinus surveyor, locked into place the last of more than 21,000 rail clips that secure steel track weighing 340 tonnes in total to their foundations.

Laying the track included pouring 4400 tonnes of concrete and completing more than 280 rail welds, which smooth out the “clickety-clack” joins where track sections meet, to give people a smoother ride, CRL said.

Martinus New Zealand general manager Graham Bradley also acknowledged the huge undertaking that began during the Covid pandemic.

“We assembled teams who have outstanding expertise and commitment to getting the mahi done, often 24/7. A restricted rail corridor brings all sorts of challenges that you can never expect and brings out the best in people. Working together to bring CRL to life as a transformational project is something we’re all really proud to be a part of,” Bradley said.

Laying the track successfully is one part of a complex tunnel fit-out under way that includes the installation of electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, safety and communications systems, CRL said.

Work to fit out the line in the second CRL tunnel, which will carry trains north from Maungawhau Station to Waitematā, will be completed next year, CRL said.