POWER ON FOR CRL’S STEEL AND CONCRETE ‘CHRISTMAS TREE’
21 December 2023
Twenty-two thousand volts of mains power is now surging into City Rail Link’s Te Waihorotiu Station, marking a significant development towards the completion of New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project in November 2025.
“Energising Te Waihorotiu is a hugely important and big step for us,” says Wayne Cooney, City Rail Link Ltd’s Systems Director. “Until now we have relied on temporary power sources for lighting and tools. Introducing a permanent power source gives us the electricity resilience and independence needed to plan ahead for another critical milestone – testing trains and the station’s facilities later next year.”
“What begins from here is complex staging and progressive energization of our new stations, tunnel systems and permanent equipment – it’s an early Christmas bonus for us,” Mr Cooney says.
The permanent power source will fuel every single aspect of the station during the remainder of construction and will power all of the needs of the station once it is operating, from speakers, lights to lifts to escalators.
“Twenty-two thousand volts is a lot of juice to handle. It’s not as simple as flicking on a switch at home. While there is a big focus on engineering, safety is our first priority. Being our first major energization event, we are uplifting on-site regulations and processes to reduce risk and keep people safe.”
Link Alliance’s one team approach has been key to achieving this milestone. It has led the testing and commissioning of energization as construction and fit-out continues and working closely with stakeholders like electricity distributor Vector.
The power-on sequence continues next year when mains electricity is connected to CRL’s Karanga-a-Hape and Maungawhau stations.
For more information please contact:
Ewart Barnsley
City Rail Link Ltd | Level 2, 25 Teed Street, Newmarket, Auckland 1023 PO Box 9681, Newmarket, Auckland 1149, New Zealand
M +64 21 567 862 | E ewart.barnsley@cityraillink.govt.nz
About the City Rail Link (cityraillink.co.nz)
The City Rail Link (CRL) is New Zealand’s largest ever transport infrastructure project, involving construction of a 3.45km twin-tunnel underground rail link up to 42m below the Auckland city centre. It will transform the downtown Waitematā Station (Britomart) into a two-way through-station that better connects the city’s rail network and more than doubles rail capacity across Tāmaki Makaurau. Two new stations Te Waihorotiu Station and Karanga-a-Hape Station are being constructed as part of the new modern urban railway link, while Mt Eden Station is being rebuilt and renamed as Maungawhau Station. When complete and fully operational, the CRL will carry up to 54,000 people per hour, an equivalent capacity to three Harbour Bridges or 16 extra traffic lanes in the city at peak travel times.