Breakthrough on final City Rail Link Tunnel
On Wednesday 14 September the tunnel boring machine “Dame Whina Cooper” broke through at Te Waihorotiu/Aotea Station.
Wednesday’s breakthrough marked the completion of the tunnel excavations for the City Rail Link Project. The next stage of construction is now underway to install the railway tracks and other systems necessary for the operation of the rail network.
Since the Dame Whina Cooper began operation in May 2021 tunnelling teams have been hard at work digging two 1.6 kilometre tunnels between Britomart and Mount Eden stations, with the first being completed prior to Christmas in 2021. The machine excavated up to 1,500 tonnes of spoil and travelled around 32m daily. It was also equipped to remove excavated tunnel spoil and install concrete segments to line the newly bored tunnel as it progressed.
Now that its journey is complete, the machine will be lifted to the surface, disassembled and returned to the manufacturer to allow parts to be repurposed for other projects.
Greenwood Roche is very proud to be involved in this significant project. We are engaged as project counsel to the Link Alliance, the consortium of companies responsible for the design and construction of the City Rail Link project.
