New Zealand’s new rail link moves closer

A design-construction alliance contract for package three of the City Rail Link project in Auckland, New Zealand, worth NZD$1.6 billion (US$1.1 billion) has been signed. Vinci Construction Grands Projects is the main contractor.

The contract is for the design and construction of a train line of 3.45km, including 3.2km of tunnel, to link the existing Britomart station to the existing Mount Eden station.

Along the line three new stations will be built, two of which will be underground. The tunnels will be made using an earth pressure tunnel boring machine with a diameter of 7.18m.

Other contractors in the design-construction alliance contract for package three include Soletanche Bachy International, along with their partner Downer and designers Aecom, WSP-Opus, and Tonkin & Taylor.

The signed contract is an ‘alliance’ type, meaning the designer-constructor consortium and the client, City Rail Link Limited, can create a single and integrated team to deliver the project to Auckland residents in 2024.

The total cost of the project is NZD$4.4 billion (US$2.9 billion). When complete, City Rail Link project is expected to double the number of people who can reach downtown Auckland in under 30 minutes. This new train line has been designed to accommodate 54,000 passengers per hour at peak travel times, said to be the equivalent of two double four-lane motorways.