Several contractors have allied to deliver a stations-and-tunnels programme of work for the City Rail Link project in Auckland following the signing of a new contract.
The ‘Link Alliance’ comprises of three construction companies and three design companies, including Vinci Construction, Downer NZ, Soletanche Bachy, WSP Opus, AECOM and Tonkin+Taylor.
“As a truly international team with members from more than 25 countries, we look forward to working alongside local communities to safely construct the City Rail Link over the next five years,” said Project Alliance Board chairman Pierre Bourgeois.
“Together with CRL Limited, we are committed to realising the outstanding legacy CRL will leave for New Zealand’s biggest city.”
The $4.4 billion (NZD) City Rail Link project, dubbed the country’s largest ever infrastructure project, involves the construction of a 3.5-kilometre, double track underground tunnel running from Britomart Transport Centre to Mount Eden Railway Station through Auckland’s CBD. The project is due to be completed in 2024.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said that the signing would help to ensure the delivery of a world-class transport system that will double the capacity of the city’s rail network.
“With the population of Auckland growing by 40,000 a year and public transport journeys exceeding 100 million in the past year, the completion of CRL can’t come soon enough,” Goff said.