Major Projects & Infrastructure, Track & Civil Construction

Track switching works at Mt Eden

Accelerated work that began at City Rail Link’s (CRL)  busy Mt Eden site in Auckland last month will step up a further gear during the summer holidays.

The country’s largest transport infrastructure project is taking advantage of an almost complete closure of the rail network’s Western/North Auckland Line to make significant changes around the site of the old Mt Eden Station.

Link Alliance North Auckland Line Construction Manager Dale Burtenshaw said the closure provides momentum for teams to complete big and necessary work around the rail corridor safely without having to worry about trains. “We’re mindful of our neighbours and we have measures in place to minimise any disruption,” he said.

KiwiRail’s closure, known as a Block of Line, runs from Boxing Day, 26 December, until 23 January. During this time, CRL’s additional work hours will include weekends, public holidays and nights.

The essential part of the holiday work program involves switching 1.3 kilometres of track.  The existing single line through the station site will be removed and trains travelling in both directions switched onto a new section of track.   The switch is one part of a construction program to connect the Western Line with CRL at a redeveloped Mt Eden Station.

“We’ve got a very tight timetable to do all this – lift the existing track, making the switch and commissioning the new track, and completing construction work for the CRL lines,” Burtenshaw said. “This is significant milestone for the project and needs to be finished by around 12 January with an overnight train running the length of the newly laid track for the first time.”

In addition to the track work, some civil construction activity will also continue on the Mt Eden site.