For the latest notifications about construction in specific areas go to this section
Update on C1 contract around Britomart
29 March 2019
The Downer Soletanche Bachy Joint Venture ( DSBJV) is now only a couple of months away from celebrating its third year constructing City Rail Link’s Contract 1 at Britomart.
The JV team has recently completed the bulk excavation of two trenches under the CPO Building and Lower Queen Street (LQS), and is now working on the construction of the new train tunnels.
Lower Queen Street
Bulk excavation of the 14m deep LQS trench was completed this month, enabling DSBJV to complete breakthrough works to expose the new Fletchers tunnels underneath Precinct’s Commercial Bay site.
Two large breakers were used to cut and breakout a number of secant piles. Works are also underway on the exposed Precinct tunnels to ensure they are ready to connect to the new C1 tunnels.
Along the northern secant pile wall of the LQS trench, works are underway to construct the concrete in-fills that will eventually form part of the permanent drainage path across LQS.
Northern Tunnel
Construction of the concrete base slabs for the northern tunnel was being completed this week. Construction of the infill area between the tunnel walls and diaphragm walls is underway, and will be filled with sand/cement flow-able fill over the next few weeks.
Tunnel walls will be started in late April, ready for roof construction in mid to late May.
Southern Tunnel
The southern tunnel is approximately two weeks behind the northern. This is due to the necessary removal of the old pedestrian underpass that previously ran from the train station through to where Commercial Bay is being built. Concrete pours are underway in the southern tunnel, with three out of five base slabs now complete.
Construction of the in-fill section between the tunnel and the diaphragm walls has just commenced.
Britomart Station lower levels
In the lower levels of Britomart train station, the northern curved blockwork walls are in the process of being removed. This will enable the existing train line to connect to the tunnel portal, which is located between the station and the northern tunnel under the CPO.
In May, the stairs on the northern side of the escalators, between the station’s lower and middle levels, will be demolished. This will be followed by works to modify the existing escalators. Access and egress for station passengers will be maintained at all times.
Latest section taking shape
08 January 2019
Construction has taken another significant step with work starting on construction of the first of the two rail tunnel boxes to be built under the heritage-listed Chief Post Office (CPO) building in lower Queen Street.
Seventy cubic metres of reinforced concrete is being poured for the first base slab, or some of the floor, of the northbound tunnel below the old building.
This pour was an important moment for City Rail Link Ltd (CRLL) and its Contract 1 (C1) contractor Downer Soletanche Bachy JV, says CRLL Chief Executive Dr Sean Sweeney.
“We’ve been working for this moment since July 2016 – for the past 30 months or so, this is what we have been gearing up for. That time has been a challenging one for our C1 contract in lower Queen Street and Britomart. Our teams have been working in some pretty demanding conditions, not only immediately adjacent to a live railway station but also excavating below sea level with the Waitemata Harbour only a few metres away. On top of that, some remarkable skill and innovation has been used to protect the CPO building so that we could get underneath it.”
Dr Sweeney says there is still a lot of work to be done in this area before both the northbound and southbound tunnel boxes are completed later this year.
“Once we’ve finished, it will be possible to walk the first section of the City Rail Link from Britomart station to beneath Albert Street as far as Wyndham Street. As for the CPO building, we are on track to reinstate and return it as part of the Britomart station in late 2020.”
Previous construction updates
