Major Projects & Infrastructure, Operations & Maintenance, Track & Civil Construction

City Rail Link back to work

 

City Rail Link expects a rapid and successful return to work at its Auckland construction sites today, with strict health and safety protocols operating in line with the New Zealand Government’s COVID Alert Level 3 announcement. 

All sites at New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project – Mt Eden, Karangahape, Aotea in thecentral city and Britomart – are re-opening after Auckland’s six-week-long lockdown under Alert Level 4. 

CRL chief executive Dr Sean Sweeney said the organisation was an important part of the New Zealand economy with its large workforce and big spend locally on construction materials. 

Enhanced health and safety protocols developed by the wider construction industry and endorsed by Worksafe New Zealand will be operating. They include physical distancing, health monitoring, enhanced cleaning, segregation between different work crews and wearing personal protective equipment, including masks. 

“Our restart’s immediate priority will be the welfare of our workers and the communities around us. Those protocols worked very well for us before, and they will again help with a safe, successful and quick restart for us,” Sweeney said. 

About 750 workers will be back on CRL sites immediately under Level 3 with a gradual return to the 850 working under normal conditions. Office-based support teams will continue to work from home during Level 3. 

Sweeney said CRL spent Level 4 preparing for a quick restart under Level 3.  

“About 100 workers remained on site during the lockdown providing security, maintaining plant and other equipment, and operating the project’s tunnel boring machine well below full capacity levels to prevent earth settling around it,” he said.  

“Backroom teams, including designers, planners and office support teams, worked from home.  

“We’ve made the most of the lockdown to be ready – I think we’re in pretty good shape for our teams to make a successful and quick resumption of work.”  

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