page_title: City Rail Link
hierarchical_section_title: City Rail Link
caption_attribution_description: Map of the Auckland railway network
context_page_description: The City Rail Link is a rail project currently under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. Former mayor Len Brown was the proponent of the $4.4 billion project, which consists of the construction of a 3.5 km long double-track rail tunnel underneath Auckland's city centre, between Britomart Transport Centre and Mount Eden railway station. Two new underground stations will be constructed to serve the city centre: Aotea near Aotea Square and Karangahape near Karangahape Road. Britomart will be converted from a terminus station into a through station and Mount Eden Station will be completely rebuilt with four platforms to serve as an interchange between the new CRL line and the existing Western Line.
  The current project is an adapted version of previous proposals to improve rail access to Auckland's city centre with the first proposals dating back to the 1920s. The increase in rail patronage in Auckland during the early 21st century, largely induced by the opening of Britomart Transport Centre in 2003, led to renewed interest in the scheme.
context_section_description: The City Rail Link (CRL) is a rail project currently under construction in Auckland, New Zealand. Former mayor Len Brown was the proponent of the $4.4 billion project, which consists of the construction of a 3.5 km long double-track rail tunnel underneath Auckland's city centre, between Britomart Transport Centre and Mount Eden railway station. Two new underground stations will be constructed to serve the city centre: Aotea near Aotea Square and Karangahape near Karangahape Road. Britomart will be converted from a terminus station into a through station and Mount Eden Station will be completely rebuilt with four platforms to serve as an interchange between the new CRL line and the existing Western Line.
  The current project is an adapted version of previous proposals to improve rail access to Auckland's city centre with the first proposals dating back to the 1920s. The increase in rail patronage in Auckland during the early 21st century, largely induced by the opening of Britomart Transport Centre in 2003, led to renewed interest in the scheme. The 2012 Auckland Spatial Plan highlighted the CRL as the most important transport investment for Auckland and the project has enjoyed strong public support. However, due to the significant costs and difficulties associated with a project of this size, its planning and funding have also been the subject of controversy.
  In June 2013, the central government announced its support for the project with a construction commencement date of 2020, four years later than Auckland Council's preferred start date of 2016. The Prime Minister announced in January 2016 that central government funding for the project had been confirmed, allowing Auckland Council to start construction of the main works from 2018, with central funds guaranteed to flow from 2020. Preliminary stages of construction, including the relocation of stormwater infrastructure and tunnelling in the vicinity of the Commercial Bay redevelopment, began in 2016. The City Rail Link is scheduled for completion in 2024.
caption: Current and proposed lines of the Auckland rail network as of 12 March 2017, showing the City Rail Link between Britomart and the vicinity of Mount Eden station.
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