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Auckland Mayor Phil Goff greets workers at the tunnel-boring machine launch ceremony in Mt Eden. “Building infrastructure like the City Rail Link is part of our Covid-19 economic plan. This project is providing real jobs and opportunities for thousands of Aucklanders.” “It will give us a step-change in our public transport and cultivate a diverse and highly-skilled workforce,” he said.
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Link Alliance project director Francois Dudouit, minister Michael Wood, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff and CEO CRL Sean Sweeney pose in front of the “Dame Whina Cooper” bore machine. Shift engineer Marine Barthomeuf honoured tradition by breaking a ceremonial bottle of champagne on the bore machine, to mark its official launch.
Tunnel boring machine launched at City Rail Link in Auckland
Tunnel boring machine launched at City Rail Link in Auckland Fri, 7 May 2021, 9:35AM
Today marks a milestone for Tāmaki Makaurau with the launch of the tunnel boring machine at New Zealand s largest infrastructure project, the $4.4 billion City Rail Link.
The German-designed Chinese-built machine, named Dame Whina Cooper, is launched this morning at the project s Mt Eden site, with final checks about to be carried out before she starts cutting around the middle of this month. Completing Auckland s City Rail Link has taken an exciting step forward today with the official launch of the machine at the project s Mt Eden site, CRL announced today.
The Tree Council’s Board Member Mark Lockhart was not prepared to stand by and allow Auckland Council’s “clerical error” to result in the destruction of a landmark pohutukawa in Mt Eden. Instead he started a petition and lobbied Councillors .