Auckland Mayor and Government formalise creation of CRL Ltd. to deliver NZ’s largest infrastructure project

Today, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff, Deputy Mayor Cashmore and Ministers Steven Joyce and Simon Bridges, formalised the partnership between Government and Auckland Council to deliver the 3.45 kilometre City Rail Link - New Zealand’s largest infrastructure project.

When complete the $3.4 billion City Rail Link will create two new underground stations (Aotea and Karangahape) and double both the number of trains on the Auckland network and the capacity of people on trains.

Mayor Phil Goff said, “This is an important project for Auckland. It will double the capacity of our rail network and ease congestion enabling 30,000 people an hour to move during peak travel times.”

“This isn’t just a transport project; it is an economic development project that will build an artery to feed thousands of employees into New Zealand’s highest value employment precinct.

Over the next 30 years, approximately 60 per cent of New Zealand’s population growth is expected to occur in Auckland with city centre and city fringe resident numbers doubling to 140,000, with employee numbers there doubling to more than 200,000.

“The CRL will help Auckland deal with the challenge of unprecedented population growth and keep our city moving, but it is only one part of the transport jigsaw. We still need government to work with Auckland Council to address the infrastructure funding gap and accelerate projects agreed in ATAP.”

Mayor Goff said the CRL is also good news for Aucklanders looking for employment and training.

“The construction of the CRL will not only help ease pressure on our roads, it will provide training opportunities, apprenticeships and jobs for thousands of Kiwi construction workers over the coming years.

“The boom in construction in the city has created a critical skills shortage in a number of areas and the City Rail Link will provide opportunities for people to find jobs, get trained and develop career pathways.”

Up to 1,600 people will be needed to build Auckland’s City Rail Link during the project’s peak period of operation with at least 600 general construction workers during peak construction, as well as workers with more specialised skills. There will be opportunities for new entrants to the workforce and for more experienced staff.

About the CRLL

CRLL is a crown entity, listed under Schedule 4A of the Public Finance Act, owned by the Crown and Auckland Council. The company has full governance, operational and financial responsibility for the CRL, with clear delivery targets and performance expectations.

It is governed by a board chairman and directors. Procurement responsibilities were transferred from Auckland Transport to CRLL.

The Crown and Auckland Council expect that the management, delivery and completion of the CRL will be an exemplar model for the efficient and effective provision of public infrastructure through central and local government collaboration.

KiwiRail, the state-owned enterprise responsible for all rail operations, has a formal role in ensuring the CRL's interoperability with the wider rail network and the services, such as freight, that it provides.

AT and KiwiRail are engaged by CRLL to provide technical and operational support services.

ENDS

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