City Rail Link construction

AM 469 on a run to Swanson passes a hi-rail in the trench parked on the new Up Main. Near the rear of the train is the turnout for one of the link tracks to the tunnel, with the other track branching off the other side of Normanby Road

29 October 2022

The original Mt Eden station is quickly starting to look like a functional station again, with the new Up Main running past the original platform and the station building visible in the distance. With the tunnel excavation now complete, the support systems for the TBM have been removed but the spoil shed remains, and has been repurposed

29 October 2022

An overview of the new Mt Eden station, with the station building rising in the distance

29 October 2022

Inside the City Rail Link tunnel, tracks have been laid and connected to Platform 1 at Britomart. Further track laying has occurred deeper in the tunnel

17 November 2022

Viewed from Dominion Road, the new Up Main is almost ready to go, with turnouts for both tracks heading into the tunnel installed

28 December 2022

The new Up Main runs along the edge of the trench and tunnel construction. Also visible are new footbridges for the station area

28 December 2022

Stairs leading to the NAL platforms at Mt Eden are now becoming visible, with the station slowly starting to look like a station again

28 December 2022

Viewed from the viewing area at the top of Flower Street, the trenches for each link track leading into the tunnel are clearly visible

28 December 2022

With footbridges returning and a new station building under construction, Mt Eden station is slowly transforming into its new form

28 December 2022

Above the new tracks, road and station area construction is ongoing

28 December 2022

At the Grafton end of the junction, both turnouts have also been installed for the link to the tunnel, and the NAL Up and Down mains in their final position

28 December 2022

The newly realigned Up and Down mains pass underneath Mt Eden Road, with the link tracks yet to be laid passing underneath the road at a lower level

28 December 2022

Although some work is still to be done, the Normanby Road overbridge is now open to road traffic as well as pedestrians. The roundabout on the other side of the bridge is also now fully open, although Boston Road remains closed in one direction

28 December 2022

Viewed from Normanby Road, the height difference between the two link tracks is evident here, as one passes below the Down Main while the other starts just before the underpass

28 December 2022

Looking towards Grafton, the turnout for the other link track is visible. New rails sit between the tracks waiting to be installed

28 December 2022

Viewed from Khyber Pass Road above Grafton station, AM 388 departs Grafton shorly before entering the single track section through Mt Eden station

3 March 2023

AM 388 passes over the crossover from the Up to the Down Main as it enters the Mt Eden construction zone

3 March 2023

Now on the Down Main, AM 388 descends into the trench and almost immediately passes a signal indicating a switch back to the Up Main is coming up, just before Kingsland. The grade, although exaggerated by the telephoto lens, is evident here

3 March 2023

A near-completed view of the track layout in this area, with the crossover installed and the Up and Down mains both in their new positions

3 March 2023

Rails waiting to be installed for completely new tracks lie between the NAL Up and Down mains underneath Normanby Road

3 March 2023

More track has been laid on one of the link roads into the tunnel, seen here from the near-complete Normanby Road bridge

3 March 2023

On what appears to be a training run, AM 428 passes through the Mt Eden construction site out of service. The unit was also earlier spotted on the Eastern Line, also out of service

3 March 2023

AM 428 passes through the hive of activity at Mt Eden, passing over one of the link roads into the tunnel

3 March 2023

The station building at Mt Eden looks more complete by the day, now with walls installed. In the foreground, new signals have also been installed on the new Up Main, although not yet connected

3 March 2023

The new platforms at Mt Eden are taking shape, with the station building rising above all four platforms under construction

3 March 2023

AM 618 passes through the middle of the construction site, giving an impression on what the future looks like

3 March 2023

At Porters Ave, the footbridge has now fully opened with functioning lifts

4 June 2023

On the western side of the bridge, the ballast formation for the NIMT tracks is in place from the trench to the turnouts on the NAL. Of note is the All Trains Stop board within the trench, indicating the tunnel is "dark" to Train Control until signalling work is completed though Martinus construction trains can still use the tracks

4 June 2023

Porters Ave has now been repaved and turned into a proper dead-end street, though retaining access for businesses to the right

4 June 2023

Both tracks are now in place through the Mt Eden station site, although the Up Main is not yet fully signalled

4 June 2023

With tunnel boxing into the Newton junction box now complete, the tunnel portal is being backfilled, with the crew's hard work being buried forever

4 June 2023

Resting between jobs, Martinus's Zephir hi-rail locomotive sits on the link track coupled to a UKB wagon. Through here, both the Up and Down mains on the NAL are completed, and pinch together to pass under Mt Eden Road before moving apart again for the platform on the other side

4 June 2023

At Maungawhau (Mt Eden), more of the station building ha appeared, with all stair access to the original platform now in place and the station building taking shape

16 July 2023

On the other side of Mt Eden Road, both the Up and Down mains are now operational, with the Down link track mostly complete at this point

16 July 2023

Heading into the newly completed trench, AM 836 runs a service to Swanson on the Up main, now fully open

16 July 2023

Just seconds later after passing underneath Normanby Road, AM 415 exits the trench shortly before arriving at Grafton station. For the first time since temporary single tracking in 2020, two trains passed each other in the Mt Eden vicinity

16 July 2023

AM 415 passes the not-yet-in-use link track into the City Rail Link connecting to the North Island Main Trunk, with the operational Up Main on the other side of the trench. The sign requiring trains to get permission from Train Control relates to the link track, with normal signalling applying on the Up and Down mains

16 July 2023

With excavation and track work in the area now complete, Boston Road has had streetscaping completed and returned to two-way operation. All roads in the area are now fully open

3 January 2024

The reopening of Boston Road has enabled this shot of the Normanby Road overbridge, with all three tracks running underneath

3 January 2024

With track works now largely complete and key works moving underground, construction on Maungawhau station's landscaping and road networks has begun

3 January 2024

The station building for Maungawhau inches closer to completion, looking more like a station every day

3 January 2024

Further up the line, the Karanga-a-Hape station building rises from Mercury Lane

3 January 2024

The Beresford Square entrance to the station, on the other side of Karangahape Road, is also taking shape, although not much is visible from the surface

3 January 2024

Inside Waitematā (Britomart) station, the former Platform 2 has been decommissioned in advance of the City Rail Link opening. The in situ and now un-numbered platform is seen here with passengers disembarking from a train on Platform 1

9 March 2024

Out the back of Waitematā, the temporary entrance that was built for CPO works has now been demolished, now that it is no longer required for Martinus works in the area. The space is planned to be reinstated as a plaza by Auckland Council

9 March 2024

View of the renumbered platforms from the escalators at Waitematā. The former Platform 2 is now not numbered, with the other platforms moving down a number to fill the hole. Platforms 1 and 4 will be widened to handle the lager number of passengers coming in from the City Rail Link

9 March 2024

The new Platform 4 has now been extended and appears to be long enough for 9-car trains. The platform is seen here heading into the tunnel, with tracks now laid all the way through to the other end at Maungawhau

9 March 2024

Near the very start of the new Maungawhau junction, an electrical cabinet has received a new coat of paint with artwork, intended as an anti-graffiti and beautification measure

18 January 2025