Waitematā Station (Britomart) newsletter - August 2022

Waitematā Station (Britomart) Works Newsletter

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26 August 2022

Waitematā Station (Britomart) Newsletter

Kia ora koutou,

This month's newsletter features:

Waitematā Station (Britomart) video
Coffee and Construction chats
Link Alliance works around the station
Britomart Place works
Meet the team - Kate
Meet the neighbours - La Petite Fourchette
CPO Heritage Exhibition

Waitematā Station (Britomart) video

We're busy working in Waitematā Station (Britomart) to prepare the station for when the City Rail Link (CRL) opens.

Once complete, Waitematā Station (Britomart) will be transformed from a dead-end stop, into a two-way through station connecting downtown Auckland to Mt Eden.

We spoke to Link Alliance Project Engineer Thomas Guerreiro to understand what’s happening in the station.

Coffee and Construction Chats

Thanks to everyone who came along to Takutai Square Wednesday morning for some free coffee, cupcakes and construction chats.

It was a great opportunity for our comms and construction teams to meet local Britomart workers and residents and chat about the current works happening in and around the station.

Link Alliance works around the station

Click image to enlarge.

Link Alliance is continuing to make good progress inside the completed tunnel boxes at Waitematā Station (Britomart). In early September, railway track inside the CRL tunnel box at the platform 1 side of the station will be poured into place.

Stage one concrete has been poured. The above image shows the delivery of concrete blocks that will go into the next stage of concreting. Link Alliance is on track to be working inside the second CRL tunnel box at the platform 5 side by November this year.

At the escalator level of the station, the team is busy making a temporary office for Auckland One Rail (AOR) to allow for the start of works on the platform 5 tracks. Currently AOR’s office is on the concourse level directly between the existing track on platform 5 and the CRL tunnel box.

Outside Tyler St, the team is proud to have installed beautiful scrim by artist Miriama Grace-Smith. Miriama Grace-Smith (Ngāti Hau, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Toarangatira and Ngāti Porou) is an artist of significant cultural importance. Her grandmother, Patricia Grace, is one of New Zealand’s most cherished authors and poets.

The chosen prints have already been seen around the Britomart precinct area, and inject nature and colour into an area that has seen its fair share of construction activity.

Truck movement will pick up during September and November for concrete pouring as part of the track laying process. This will be for a finite period only and the team is doing its best to minimise disruption, ensuring the public’s safety and access for residents on Tyler Street is a priority.

Britomart Place works

Surface Works

Excavation works have begun and will continue until we reach the tunnel roof for Waitematā Station (Britomart) - 5 metres underground.

The team have made a big timber box to keep soil from falling in. To ensure everything fits perfectly, large steel beams have been cut and welded.

Tunnel works - South wall construction

In the tunnel, the focus has been on the demolition of the old south wall and the construction of the new south wall.

The crew have had to drill into the tunnel roof and the floor to place reinforcement in preperation for a substantial concrete pour.

Installing plates on the old south wall during Block of Line

What makes this work so tricky is that the team can only get materials in and out when the station is closed. This is why Waitematā Station (Britomart) often has shutdowns, known as a Block of Line.

Upcoming works in Britomart Place:

Surface Works

Stage 1 Excavation - Continue excavation to expose the station tunnel roof.
Preparation for the beam strengthening.

Tunnel Works

First concrete pour for new south wall, approximately 10 truck loads on the 26 August 2022.

Meet the team - Kate

A familiar face for those who attended our latest Community Liaison Group meeting. This month we spoke to Kate Gullery, the Link Alliance Environmental Advisor for Waitematā Station (Britomart) works.

Meet the neighbours - La Petite Fourchette

Grab lunch, morning tea, a coffee or one of their delicious cakes at La Petite Fourchette's Britomart branch.

La Petite Fourchette means the little fork in French and so for the team quality French food has always been a priority.

All the patisserie are made from scratch at the Wynyard Quarter branch and their bakery, Copain, in Ponsonby. These are delivered fresh daily to Britomart.

La Petite Fourchette offer à la carte breakfast menu as well as home made pies, croque monsieur, quiches, sandwiches, sausage rolls, patisserie, pastries, breads and other sweet goodies.

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm
Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 3pm

CPO Heritage Exhibition

Jasmax has designed and curated an exhibition in the station showing glimpses of Auckland's transport past.

The Chief Post Office (CPO) Heritage Exhibition features a collection of domestic artefacts dating back to the mid-1800s, which were uncovered during excavation works.

These glimpses into Tāmaki Makaurau’s past include descriptions of historic foreshore reclamation, the original architecture and design of the CPO, and the history of tram and train patronage in Auckland, alongside descriptions of the ground-breaking engineering behind the new construction of the twin tunnels.

The content has been carefully selected based on research and interviews with AC Heritage, Heritage NZ Clough & Associates archaeologists, Matthews & Matthews heritage architects, Aurecon civil engineers, Auckland Electric Tramways Trust, MOTAT and Auckland Transport.

The exhibition has been installed but from time to time will be behind hoardings due to the construction happening in the station.

Photos taken by Samuel Hartnett.

Find out more
For information about Britomart and Quay Park Yard work click here.

How to contact the wider Waitematā Station (Britomart) team:
If you have any questions or concerns about our works, please email the Waitematā Station (Britomart) team at info@cityraillink.govt.nz or phone us on
0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) and press option 1 for Waitematā Station (Britomart) work.

Official use of gifted City Rail Link station names, including Waitematā Station, is subject to a New Zealand Geographic Board decision. Visit www.cityraillink.co.nz/meet-your-stations to find out more about the naming process.

Ngā mihi nui
The Waitematā Station (Britomart) Team