Rail link begins

Auckland: The next stage of the construction of Auckland’s City Rail Link is under way.

Concrete’s being poured to build the rail tunnel boxes underneath Britomart’s historic, heritagelisted Chief Post Office building.

It is at the bottom of Queen St and serves as the entrance to the train station.

It follows more than two years of work to reinforce the building before anything could go underneath it.

Seventy cubic metres of concrete is being poured to build the firstfloor section of the northbound tunnel.

City Rail Link chief executive Sean Sweeney said it had been an extremely challenging part of the project.

Once the rail tunnel boxes are done later this year, it will be possible to walk about 400m of the route underground, from Britomart, up

Albert St as far as Wyndham St.

The 3.45kmlong train line, which at this stage is projected to cost $3.4 billion, will be completed in 2024. — RNZ