City Rail Link

Newsletter - March 2021

Newsetter - March 2021

Iconic Chief Post Office Reopening

 

Auckland will shortly enjoy having its busiest transport hub, Britomart Station, back after more than four years of construction.

The 109-year-old Chief Post Office (CPO) building, home to Britomart Station, closed in January 2017 for City Rail Link works. 

These works included the construction of twin rail tunnels 14 metres below the shiny white marble of the CPO ground floor. These tunnels extend from the existing Britomart train platform and will eventually join up to the rest of the underground City Rail Link line to Mt Eden.

Works involved the construction of a temporary station entrance from Commerce Street for train users to access the platforms, and after tunnels were complete, the creation of a wonderful new civic space out front of the CPO – Te Komititanga.

But perhaps one of the contract’s most impressive feats was the meticulous preservation of the building’s unique heritage elements, while carrying out heavy earthworks around the building’s century-old foundations.

The Chief Post Office is classed as a heritage Category 1 listed building and was first opened in 1912.

Together, the Chief Post Office and Te Komititanga give the public a taste of the integrated, beautiful, functional public spaces that will be delivered as part of the wider CRL project.

While some decommissioning work continues over the next few months by CRL’s C1 contractors, Downer Soletanche Bachy Joint Venture (DSBJV), the CPO is scheduled to open to the public from 6 April 2021.

The City Rail Link is New Zealand’s largest-ever transport project and is set to at least double the current rail capacity. The $4.4 billion project is building New Zealand’s first underground railway – tunnels 3.45km-long below central Auckland to link the Britomart and Mt Eden Stations, with two brand new stations along the way; Aotea and Karangahape. To find out more click here.

Britomart Reopening Fast Facts:

  • The CPO is scheduled to reopen for public use on 6 April 2021

  • At the same time, the temporary station will close for good

  • The CPO building will be handed back to Auckland Transport

  • The temporary structure will remain in place to accommodate ongoing CRL works.

  • Auckland Transport will shortly undertake façade works to the Chief Post Office, this ‘face-lift’ is scheduled to take 12-months.

 
Nigel Horrocks