On Wednesday September 23rd, nine of our construction students had the opportunity to have an inside look at the City Rail Link, (CRL), construction zone close to the Aotea Centre.

We were hosted by the Link Alliance Group, which is a consortium of seven companies, which are delivering the main stations and tunnels for the Auckland CRL project.

The CRL is a 3.45km twin-tunnel underground rail link up to 42 metres below the Auckland city centre. It will transform the downtown Britomart Transport Centre into a two-way through-station that better connects the Auckland rail network. It will allow the rail network double the rail capacity and is a 3.45km twin-tunnel underground rail link up to 42 metres below the city centre. The CRL is due for completion in 2024.

Several presenters talked to us about their work on the many sides of one of NZ’s largest construction projects, and several had links to West Auckland.

Our first presenter, Angelique Brogtrop, the Human Resources Manager, even went to Massey High School and after leaving MHS and several years overseas in the Netherlands, returned to West Auckland. She now works at the CRL having previously been involved in the Waterview tunnel and is passionate about ensuring kiwis gain the skills and experience to progress their careers as they work on projects that leave a significant legacy.

Another presenter, Ian Day, is hearing impaired and he gave up his time to describe his journey to become a draughtsman at CRL and the obstacles that he has had to overcome. This was especially poignant to our students from Ko Taku Reo, formerly Kelston Deaf Education Centre, who are part of our construction academies at MHS. They were particularly excited to see the possibilities from someone who has made a significant journey in his career despite his lack of hearing.

We heard about the international nature of the project, which includes six New Zealand and international companies, had a tour of the construction zone and an insight in to all the jobs that are involved in making the CRL a success.

Our thanks to the Link Alliance Group in giving us this unique opportunity.