The chief executive of Auckland’s most ambitious transport project has conceded its opening will be delayed by at least several months, and he won’t rule out further setbacks.
The City Rail Link, connecting and doubling the capacity of Auckland’s rail network through two tunnels underneath the city centre, was due to open in late 2024.
Sean Sweeney now says that’ll likely happen in 2025, due to impacts of Covid-19.
“I don't want to guess ... but it is some number of months,” he said.
News of the delay came on the day the tunnel boring machine, named Dame Whina Cooper after the Māori rights activist, broke through into Aotea Station in central Auckland.
City Rail Link workers, local and central government officials and other stakeholders were there to witness what was described as an important milestone given the pandemic.
Sweeney said he doesn't believe the project's end date will stretch into 2026, but more delays aren't off the table.
"The first time we'll be able to give a strong indication of completion will be at the end of next year, because we would've done the second tunnel, we would've done all the excavation on all the stations and we will have started the rail systems works," he said.
"That will be the first time we have a real clarity about what the finish line might look like, at the moment there's still an awful lot of moving pieces."
He let Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff know of the delays during the press conference with media after the break through.
"I think everyone would understand that the impacts of Covid will create challenges in a large-scale project like this," Minister Wood said.
Sweeney said it was too early to know the full effects, with the $4.4 billion cost likely to grow.
"Every major construction project in the world is being impacted by Covid, we're being impacted by the border closures, global supply chains are severely disrupted at the moment, we have labour shortages, and then we have the impacts of lockdowns," he said.
The machine cut through a concrete protective wall this morning into what will be New Zealand's busiest train station, completing the first tunnel.
It'll now be moved back to Mt Eden for work to begin on the second tunnel.
At peak times it's estimated 54,000 people an hour will use City Rail Link stations.
More details on a timeline and cost are expected in early 2021, as well as an update on the city's Light Rail project.
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