Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) Minutes 18 May 2022

Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) Community Liaison Group Minutes

Meeting

Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) Community Liaison Group (CLG)

Date

Wednesday 18 May 2022

Time

5:00pm – 6:30pm

Location

Microsoft Teams Live

Presenters

Helga Sonier, Simon Lough, Annabelle Wrigley, Thibaut L’Hopital, Derek Whelan, and Nick Adams.

CLG Members

6 CLG members attended the meeting virtually.

Agenda: No.

Agenda Item

Presenter

1

Meeting open

Helga Sonier

2

Welcome and overview

Helga Sonier

3

Communications & Engagement update

Helga Sonier

4

Meet Your Stations

Simon Lough

4

Basque Park update

Annabelle Wrigley

5

Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) Main site update

Thibaut L’Hopital

6

Tunnelling update

Derek Whelan

7

North Auckland Line update

Nick Adams

8

Q&A session

All Presenters

9

Meeting close

Helga Sonier

1. Welcome and overview •

Helga Sonier, Maungawhau Community Manager welcomed attendees to the virtual Community Liaison Group (CLG) meeting and provided helpful tips on how to engage during the virtual meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to share updates on the Link Alliance Maungawhau Station construction progress, and respond to questions or feedback from CLG members.

2. Communications and engagement update • • • •

The Maungawhau Communications and Engagement team provided a team update, farewelling two of their longstanding team members Annabelle and Helen, while welcoming new team member Jennifer on board.

Last month the team successfully held TBM Thursday sessions and hosted the Ready 2 Bore event which involved blessing the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ahead of her second and final tunnel drive.

The team has been hosting monthly perimeter walks and information drop-in sessions on the first Tuesday of the month. In addition, our visitor centre Te Manawa has re-opened twice a week on Monday and Thursday, as well as once a month on Saturday.

Recent community initiatives include weekly wellbeing activities of yoga and meditative art, quiet space at Cityside on Mt Eden Road, and supporting the Uptown Business Association (UBA) Food & Socialising Guide.

3. Meet Your Stations • • •

•

Simon Lough, City Rail Link (CRL) Interface Design Manager introduced Meet Your Stations, the launch of the four proposed te reo station names gifted by the project’s Mana Whenua Forum.

Presented the new renders for Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden), Karanga a Hape Station (Karangahape), Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea) and Waitematā Station (Britomart).

These names for the stations reflect significant geographic features around stations, strengthen the stations connection to place, enhance cultural narratives reflected in the design of stations, educate the wider-public about another aspect of Auckland’s history, and honour our Treaty of Waitangi obligations.

The official decision by the New Zealand Geographic Board on the four proposed names is expected to be in late 2022.

4. Basque Park update • • • •

Annabelle Wrigley, Communications & Engagement Advisor announced that the horizontal directional drilling is now complete with the final connection works due to begin in June 2022.

The team will begin demobilising equipment and reinstating the site from July 2022.

New art has been installed on the south side hoardings, featuring artist Erika Pearce and inspired drawings from local daycare centre, The Learning Space.

Auckland Council have launched their campaign “Have Your Say” seeking feedback from the community for their Basque Park Improvement Project. This project will start once Link Alliance works are complete.

5. Maungawhau Station main site construction update • • •

Thibaut L’Hopital, Maungawhau Station Project Manager shared that the team have continued to work on the station building foundations, City Rail Link platform, North Auckland Line overpass, ventilation building, cut and cover tunnels, and North Auckland Line platform.

The team have progressed well in constructing the City Rail Link station platform walls and formwork, as well as installing the glass façade on the North Auckland Line overpass.

Construction on the North Auckland Line platform as well as the emergency exit from the platform to Mt Eden Road is being undertaken during Blocks of Line, due to the close proximity of the live rail line.

6. Tunnelling update • • • •

Derek Whelan, TBM Tunnels Construction Manager spoke about the relaunch of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) on 26th April for the second City Rail Link tunnel.

24/7 supporting activities are underway again on the Maungawhau site, which includes spoil removal, increased truck movement, the conveyor belt running, and crane movements.

The TBM is currently 22 metres away from breaking into the mined cavern, in which it will slide through the cavern and be placed in the relaunch position to continue excavating towards Karanga a hape Station.

The TBM is expected to breakthrough at Te Wai Horotiu Station in early Spring.

7. North Auckland Line update •

• • •

Nick Adams, Deputy Construction Manager – North Auckland Line (NAL) celebrated that the Porters Avenue Bridge was installed on 27th March, involving two 450 tonne cranes and one 500 tonne crane to lift the 46-metre-long bridge span into place. The bridge is expected to open in August 2022 for pedestrians.

The team completed the Normanby Road Bridge structure, with the Eastern side being open for pedestrians from 23rd May and open to vehicles in October 2022.

The Eastern Grade Separation (EGS) structure is nearing completion with base slab construction, as well as the piling within in the NAL corridor is nearing completion.

Track formation at either end of the NAL corridor is completed.

•

There is a one-way on Boston Road until late July to install utilities and raise road levels. Boston Road and Nugent Street will have a full closure on the upcoming Block of Line during the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

Questions & Answers: •

What does the vent building do? o The ventilation building has the function to distribute ventilation into the tunnels, as well containing smoke in the event of a fire emergency in the tunnel.

•

When does the Tunnel Boring Machine restart digging? Then approximately how long until it breaks through Karanga a Hape Station? o The TBM began boring on the 26th April and recently paused briefly in preparation to break through a mined headwall, and now over the following weeks it will slide through a pre mined cavern before then resuming full excavation. We can expect the TBM to arrive at Karanga a Hape Station in mid-July 2022 and Te Wai Horotiu in early Spring.

•

What is shotcrete lining? o Shotcrete lining is also known as sprayed concrete lining, this involves spraying concrete onto the ground to form support for the open excavation ground and to prevent it from falling inwards.

•

It appears construction of the northern side of the Fenton Street Bridge has commenced? When will the Fenton Street side commence? o The abutment (pier) for the southern side works for Fenton Street Bridge is expected to be completed in late July 2022. However, the bridge span is being fabricated off site and the team expects to install the steel structure early next year.

•

For Porters Avenue Bridge, will there be two or so months when there is no lift access across the tracks? As in pedestrian access only? o The Porters Avenue Bridge is expected to be open to pedestrians in August, the pedestrian level crossing will remain in place until August. From August until October the lifts at Porters Avenue Bridge will not be operational and those with accessibility requirements will have an alternative route in place.

•

How is the project going to the original programme? o The project is progressing well despite the disruption of Covid-19. For instance, the team were able to achieve the single line running switch over during last year’s Christmas Block of Line, as well as continue great progress on the Tunnel Boring Machine’s journey to Te Wai Horotiu Station. However, the project is experiencing

delays in the supply chain for materials as well as workers. These impacts are still being assessed, with the implications to the programme being determined in due course.

This CLG Presentation is available on the City Rail Link website with all other Maungawhau CLG presentations and minutes. The next CLG meeting date is to be confirmed.