CRL Connection
November 2018
Weight of heritage building transferred to new foundations One of the most complex challenges for the City Rail Link (CRL) project – transferring the weight of the 106-yearold Chief Post Office (CPO) building onto temporary foundations – has now been completed. The weight transfer follows two years of planning and preparation by local and international experts and enables CRL tunnelling works to begin under the CPO building. CRL’s Head Delivery Manager, Scott Elwarth, says protecting the heritage features of the CPO building has been a priority for the project. “To enable us to construct CRL tunnels under the heritage building, we had to remove a number of existing foundations. To do this, we had to first support the building on underpinning frames and in doing so limited any movement to less than one or two milimetres,” he says. “In all, we had to transfer 4,000 tonnes of the building weight onto the frames. So much depended on this being 100 per cent successful. There was absolutely no room for error.”
The existing Britomart Station has “dead-end” tunnels, meaning trains end their journeys there and must exit the same way they came in. The CRL will change that by extending those tunnels and turning Britomart into a two-way through station, adding a 3.45km underground rail link, up to 42 metres below the city centre, between downtown Auckland and Eden Terrace. There will be new underground stations – one mid-town with entrances at Wellesley and Victoria Streets and one off Karangahape Road with entrances at Mercury Lane and Beresford Square. The existing Mount Eden station will be re-developed and the CRL tunnels will connect to the North Auckland (Western) Line at this location. When the CRL opens in 2024, Aucklanders will have a better connected and more efficient rail network that can take twice as many train services at peak. Watch the video about the CPO weight transfer
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Lower Queen Street tunnel breakthrough approaching Before the end of this month, CRL is expecting to start cutting through the secant pile wall that separates the Lower Queen Street excavation from the CRL tunnels built under the Commercial Bay development site. The breakthrough will involve cutting around the outline of the tunnels and then breaking out the secant piles within these cuts. This process will continue as CRL contractor Downer Soletanche Bachy excavates deeper into Lower Queen Street to get to the required 13-metre depth. Bulk excavation works continue in the southern CRL trench in preparation for upcoming tunnel box construction works. The northern trench beneath the CPO building has been excavated to six metres and a temporary concrete floor constructed to enable installation of mid-level props to provide support for the trench walls before deeper excavation begins. The same process will shortly be repeated in the southern trench, where workers are currently
Bulk excavation continues around the CPO
completing the breakout of the CPO building’s redundant foundations and demolishing the old pedestrian underpass. At platform level, the contractor is preparing to construct the tunnel portals that will link the existing rail track to the new CRL lines under the CPO.
Rail network improvements start in Parnell As part of CRL creating a more reliable and resilient rail service for Auckland, network improvements have begun at the Strand in Parnell. The works are being delivered by KiwiRail. The former Strand train station in Parnell was reopened in 2011 to be a stabling yard for Auckland Transport’s Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains and a platform for KiwiRail’s Northern Explorer. It also acts as an emergency back-up station to Britomart if needed. The rail works involve introducing a new track cross-over point that allows trains to more easily access the existing Strand station and stabling facility, along with some track realignment and modifications to overhead line and signalling equipment. This will make access easier for the Northern Explorer and empty EMUs.
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The Strand works will enable an increased frequency of trains on the Auckland rail network once the CRL is operational. This KiwiRail video explains the Strand works.
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Albert Street tunnel box construction past halfway CRL’s Albert Street tunnel box construction is now about 63 per cent complete, with 264 metres of floor, 240 metres of wall and 156 metres of roof poured at the southern end of the trench. CRL contractor Connectus Joint Venture has also started backfilling the trench the tunnel box sits in. To date, more than 4,000m3 of material has been placed on top of the tunnel box, about 10 per cent of the total amount required. This has enabled more than 180 metres of temporary steelwork to be removed. As work progresses, there will be some road layout changes on Albert Street as Connectus starts the reinstatement of the Wyndham Street intersection. This includes some minor shifting of traffic lanes to provide working room for the removal of temporary support structures from the southern end of the trench. Under the Albert/Customs Street intersection, Connectus is nearing the completion of the breakthrough into the CRL tunnel box under the neighbouring Commercial Bay development. This work coincides with the removal of the last of the remaining material to be excavated.
Tunnel box construction
Sum et quae dolesecae venihicide cum voluptia non pos dolupta nusandi
Removing spoil from the trench
A view under the Customs Street traffic deck
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Former Britomart Station engineer returns to work on CRL Mike McEnroe worked on the development of Britomart Station back in the early 2000s. Now he’s back there working on the next chapter in Britomart’s history - CRL’s transformation of the existing end-of-line tunnels into a two-way system, so more trains can get in and out of the city. Mike, who has worked on many major infrastructure and construction projects, is working as a site superintendent delivering CRL’s Britomart works contract and is looking forward to seeing the tunnels completed. “I’m thrilled because of the history I have with Britomart (originally Auckland’s Chief Post Office built in 1912). Seeing this through to the end is, in essence, leaving a legacy. It’s a proud moment to be able to look at something monumental and say, ‘I built that’,” he says. Mike’s a big fan of CRL, New Zealand’s biggest transport infrastructure project, saying Auckland really needs it. The 3.45km twin-tunnel underground rail link being built up to 42 metres below the city centre will allow Auckland’s rail network to at least double its capacity. His role involves managing the day-to-day activities of the site crew and sub-contractors working on the project and finding people to fill new roles as the project progresses. He’s not only a liaison between the project engineers and workers on the ground but also plays an important role in managing client relations. Mike has to ensure all crews onsite produce high quality work and adhere to strict health and safety protocols. He also provides feedback to the engineering team on construction planning.
Mike McEnroe: “I’ll look at the CRL tunnels and say, “I built that”.
Because he worked on the original Britomart Station project, Mike knows the station and CPO building inside and out. “One change from those times is the nature of the workforce,” he says. “We have a lot more international expertise working on this project, which is great because this project is a real first for New Zealand.” Mike’s advice to anyone considering a career in construction is: “Just do it. You’ll leave legacies. Like any trade, learn it and enjoy it, as the skills are invaluable.” Read the full story
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Water Street shaft excavation reaches halfway At Mt Eden, work is progressing on construction of 17-metre-deep shafts required as part of CRL’s stormwater realignment contract. Contractor March Bessac is tasked with diverting a 420-metre section of stormwater main that lies in the path of the future CRL tunnels at Mt Eden. The new main will be installed by a micro tunnel boring machine named ‘Jeffie’, who is expected to be lowered into the Water Street launch shaft in December and start her journey towards the Nikau Street reception shaft in the New Year.
A bentonite slurry circuit is also used to carry the tunnel cuttings to the surface for separation. The treatment plant separates the solids from the bentonite fluid and returns it to the tunnelling machine. The solid material generated will be carted to a certified fill site. A special ceremony for Jeffie will be held on 4 December, St Barbara’s Day. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners, making it an appropriate day to hold a ceremony to bless the workers and equipment before the tunnelling work begins.
The concrete pipe segments, that will be pushed along behind Jeffie as she bores the new stormwater tunnel, continue to arrive at the Water Street construction site. A bentonite plant has also been established to assist with the pipe-jack work. Bentonite is a special type of clay used in tunnelling to create a fluid sleeve around the pipeline to help keep the soil from closing in during works.
Top: The bentonite plant Bottom: Stockpile of new stormwater pipe sections Japanese
もし、 このファクトシートを理解する必要があれば、 下記のメール経由で我々にご連絡ください。
Above left: The bentonite plant at Water St; Stockpile of new stormwater pipe Russian sections; Nikau Street shaft excavation; Если Вам необходима помощь в разъяснении содержимого в данном бюллетене, просим адресовать Ваши вопросы на нижеуказанную электронную почту.
Simplified Chinese Korean
본 자료표에 관한 더 많은 정보를 원하시면 하단의 이메일 주소로 연락 주시기 바랍니다.
Arabic ةرشنلا اذه مهف يف ةدعاسم ىلإ ةجاحب تنك اذإ، هاندأ ينورتكلإلا ديربلا ناونع ربع انب لاصتالا ىجري.
Shaft excavation works
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