The Auckland City Rail Link is a 3.4 km double-track underground rail line running beneath the central business district from Britomart to the Western (North Auckland) Line near the existing Mount Eden Station, with two new underground stations in the CBD at Aotea and Karangahape.
On 14 September 2016 the Government and Auckland Council signed a Heads of Agreement, under which the Government will fund 50 percent of the City Rail Link, subject to the terms of the agreement being implemented. This includes the establishment of a special purpose vehicle to deliver the project.
The Government is currently working with Auckland Council to implement the terms of the Heads of Agreement, including agreeing the contracts that will govern various aspects of the project's delivery. The Government will make its funding available for agreed project costs, including those incurred to date, once a Sponsors’ Agreement is in place to set out more detailed arrangements around how both the Government and Auckland Council will sponsor and deliver the project.
Construction of the project is underway with early construction works starting in December 2015.
The project is expected to be completed by 2023/24.
Recent history of the City Rail Link
2016
September
The Government and Auckland Council signed a Heads of Agreement, setting out in-principle commitments from the Government and Auckland Council, and containing broader funding, governance and risk management arrangements.
January
The Government announced it would work with Auckland Council to bring forward the joint business plan and formalise its funding commitment for the project from 2020 (subject to a number of complex project issues being resolved). Auckland Council indicated this would allow it to start construction of the main tunnelling works in 2018, two years earlier than previously envisaged.
As a result of this announcement the Ministry of Transport no longer publishes six-monthly monitoring reports on Auckland’s CBD employment and rail patronage growth. Data on CBD employment and rail patronage is available from the Statistics New Zealand and Auckland Transport websites respectively. Historical monitoring reports are set out below.
2013
The Government committed to a joint business case for the project with Auckland Council in 2017, and to providing its share of funding for a construction start in 2020. The Government also said it would consider an earlier start date if it became clear that Auckland’s CBD employment and rail patronage hit thresholds faster than current rates of growth suggested.
Auckland Transport proceeded with protecting the route for the City Rail Link and funded this work through its Long Term Plan. More information can be found on the Auckland Transport website.