Luxon said the project was “a major, major feat” that would spur another $12 billion of investment in other economic activity in the city.
On the return trip from Waitematā, he described the trip as a bit like Star Trek, the way the tunnels were lit, saying he had spent a lot of time on subway trains travelling to work while living in New York and London.
“A lot less smelly armpits here than what I observed in Tokyo and London, in particular,” he said.
Asked about his first impression, Brown said, “It’s a ride in a train. It was normal and natural, which is what we want. We don’t want excitement. We just want to know if this goes quickly? We have proved it is very quick to get from here to there. That is what it is supposed to do, and that is what it is doing.”
In a speech before the train ride, Brown said the CRL was a great milestone for Auckland, long overdue and reaching this point had not been easy or cheap.
“Auckland has endured 10 years of disruptive construction…it’s been tough on the city and local businesses who have also suffered big shocks from Covid and economic downturns.”
Vince Ah Kuoi, one of two train drivers on the trip, said it was cool being asked to drive the first passenger train.
Ah Kuoi – who has been driving trains in Auckland for 18 years – said the CRL was the biggest, grandest, newest piece of rail in that time.
Pat Brockie, chief executive of City Rail Link Ltd, said that with the heavy construction work finished, work is focused on commissioning and testing all the tunnel and station systems to operate the CRL safely.
While Brockie said the finish line is getting closer and there was still a lot of work to be done before the CRL can open to passengers, he would not give any indication of when the CRL will open next year.
The City Rail Link was first planned in 2008, but construction did not begin until 2016 under a 50/50 agreement between Auckland Council and the Government.
At the time of spades in the ground, the cost was estimated at between $2.8b and $3.4b. In 2019, the cost ballooned to $4.4b, and $5.5b in 2023.
When it opens next year, trains will run every four or five minutes at peak times through the central city, with a peak capacity of 19,000 passengers per hour – about a 50% increase from the current 12,000 passengers per hour.
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