New Zealand marked a milestone for the Auckland’s City Rail Link as the first test train has been successfully completed through the full length of line’s tunnels.
The 3.45-km-long inaugural journey ran south from Waitematā station, in Britomart area under central Auckland past the new underground stations at Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape to Maungawhau station on the Western/North Auckland Line.
The three-carriage train left Waitematā station on time at 9pm and took two-and-a-half hours to complete its first journey.
The speed was deliberately slow, of around 5 km/h allowing technicians to complete their first round of underground checks and balances relating to tunnel clearance, power supply and signalling. The train successfully completed five trips on February 12.
The successful test run is welcomed by Auckland Council which, along with the Government, funds New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project.
“This is momentous for Auckland and the City Rail Link programme, which has had its fair share of challenges. It’s good to see progress being made because Auckland deserves a public transport system that will deliver benefits for Aucklanders and visitors alike,” the Mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown, said.
Getting the green signal to proceed came after exhaustive planning and safety checks that peaked in mid-February when the tunnels’ overhead lines were energised ready to provide the electricity to power trains.
The test train is a “colossal milestone. The test run is a major step in our transition from a construction site into a railway and we now start a comprehensive testing schedule ahead of people riding the train next year” City Rail Link Ltd’s Chief Executive, Patrick Brockie, said.
Auckland’s City Rail Link project the city’s new rail connection that turns dead-end Waitematā into a through line station to better connect the central city and the wider rail network.
KiwiRail says the first end-to-end journey launched a key testing phase to confirm trains can seamlessly transition between CRL and the wider network.
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