Route agreed in principle from western end of Britomart station in downtown Auckland for first part of proposed 3.5 km tunnel link to Mt Eden via Albert Street. Government rail agency Ontrack is proceeding with planning of remainder of route with a view to construction completion by 2020, target cost EUR450 million. Visit www.ontrack.govt.nz, head office tel +64 4 495 3000, or e-mail info@projectdart.org.nz 46/08.

The Link Alliance, which includes VINCI Construction subsidiaries VINCI Construction Grands Projets (main contractor) and Soletanche Bachy International, along with their partner Downer and designers Aecom, WSP-Opus, and Tonkin & Taylor secured the Design-Construction Alliance contract for Package 3 of the City Rail Link project in New Zealand.

The contract, worth EUR970 million (NZD1,658 million) is for the design and construction of 3.45 km of extension of a train line, including 3.2 km of tunnel, to link the existing Britomart station to the existing Mount Eden station. Along that line, three new stations will be built, two of which are underground. The tunnels will be made using a TBM EPB with a diameter of 7.18 m.

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.

For a total cost of EUR2.586 bn (NZD4.419 bn), the 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, which is the equivalent of two double four-lane motorways.

Visit https://www.cityraillink.co.nz/crl-media-releases-2019 and https://www.vinci.com/vinci.nsf/en/press-releases/pages/20190719-0830.htm.

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