City Rail Link
September 2012
www.aucklandtransport.govt.nz
Introduction • • • • •
Project overview Route protection Managing effects Summary Questions
A Vision for Auckland A globally competitive city • A thriving economic centre • A lifestyle that attracts and retains top talent • Transport solutions that allow for and shape growth • New Zealand is fifth in OECD for growth and most is in Auckland • New migrants are a key growth factor
Contributing to Plans for Auckland The CRL is the foremost public transportation project in the first decade of the Auckland Council’s 30 year plan The CRL is one of Auckland’s key initiatives to reach its transport and economic goals
City Centre Capacity • Britomart rail capacity expected to be reached in 2020 • CRL will double capacity by removing Britomart terminus constraint
• Bus capacity reached this decade Symonds Street
Fanshawe Street
Colombia
Innovation: Integrated Station Planning
Alignment
• Britomart to Eden Terrace • 3.5km-mainly underground • Provides for three city centre stations and an interchange
Innovation: Integrated Station Planning
City Centre Stations
Network Benefits •
Links the existing network
•
Unlocks Auckland wide network capacity- not a city centre loop
•
Allows more connectivity and direct city centre access
•
Enables cross city travel without changing trains
•
Allows for future North Shore line to connect at Aotea
Travel Time Savings TRAVEL TIMES TO CITY RAIL LINK STATIONS Travel by Train / Bus (minutes) From
To Before CRL After CRL
Reduced Travel Time
% Improvement in Travel Time
New Lynn
Aotea Station
51
23
28
55%
Morningside
Aotea Station
39
14
25
64%
Onehunga
K' Road Station
47
27
20
43%
Manukau Centre
K' Road Station
61
42
19
31%
Newmarket
Aotea Station
27
10
17
63%
Panmure
Newton Station
40
27
13
33%
Working to a Solution May 2011
•
Government and Auckland Council agree that it makes strategic sense to protect a route
2011/12
•
Auckland Transport undertakes the engineering, technical, planning and legal work required to progress protection of the route
2012
• • •
Auckland Council adopts LTP including CRL funding Land footprint identified Route protection initiated
2013 and beyond
• • •
Planning and property 3 years Construction 5 years Target opening 2020/21
Transport as an Enabler of Development •
Enables access and mobility
•
Access and mobility support economic activity and growth
•
Many cities developed around strategic transport assets – harbours and river crossings, like Auckland and London
•
Cities are dynamic
Economic Benefits
• • •
Transport is critical to shape urban form and lead economic development in cities
•
The city centre is the hub of Auckland’s economy with up to 20,000 employees per square km
•
Average city centre earnings are 15 % higher than the Auckland isthmus and 27% higher than the rest of Auckland.
Auckland accounts for 34% of jobs in NZ and most are in the urban areas Improved travel times increases the number of workers available to employers and provides greater employment opportunities
Route protection
Approach Current Phase
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 5
Engineering design
Concept design
Preliminary design
Detailed design
Construction design
Operation
Investigation
Desktop analysis Initial investigations
Site investigations
Further investigations
Any final investigation
Consultation
Landowners Stakeholders Community Submissions
Landowners including localised consents Stakeholders Community
Planning
NoR Effects assessment
Resource consents
Any localised consents
Environment
Develop Environment Management Framework
EMPs
Completed or refined and updated
Operational Management Plans
Conditions
Designation conditions
Resource consent conditions
Implement conditions
Ongoing monitoring
Customer support
Notice of Requirement Process We are here
•
Resource Management Act Requirements
•
Auckland Transport is requiring authority and serves NoR
•
Seeking designation in district plan over land needed for CRL
Auckland Council process •
Public notification
•
Submission process
•
Independent commissioners
•
Hearing
Auckland Transport decision
Auckland Council notifies decision to submitters landowners and occupiers
Environment Court appeal rights
MfE graphic
Identifying and managing effects
Effects Assessments and Management •
Prudent or conservative “envelope approach” to identifying and assessing effects adopted (common approach in projects)
•
Effects predominantly arise from construction and will be temporary
•
They will occur mainly where surface works are proposed
•
Construction of CRL is similar to construction of other infrastructure projects in Auckland
•
Construction effects are typical of inner city construction
•
Adverse effects will be managed through Environmental Management Framework
Construction Cut and cover along Albert Street and at Mt Eden. Impacts to be addressed include:
• • • •
Dust Altered access and traffic patterns Noise Vibration
Tunnelling from Aotea Station to New North Road will be with a Tunnel Boring Machine TBM technology significantly reduces impacts
Dust
3
Construction Dust • There will be no dust for most of the route due to the alignment being underground • Dust from surface works will be managed through the EMF • Dust sources will include: • exposed excavation and temporary access roads • truck loading and unloading • storage and handling of spoil • cement handling
New Lynn Rail Trench, Auckland
Dust Management • Mitigation includes : • Dust controlled at source to limit dispersion (sheds) • Water to dampen materials • Wind fencing to prevent movement • Construction vehicles required to use wheel washing facilities • Roads continuously swept to ensure no construction dust/ debris is left behind
Road Sweeper
Wheel wash facility
Water truck
Traffic
Traffic Effects • Effects are temporary and major roads will be kept open • Temporary adverse effects on transport network can be adequately mitigated through the EMF • Britomart and Queen Elizabeth II Square – temporary
relocation of some bus stops • Albert Street and Pitt Street may have reduced road width • Roads adjacent to Albert Street may be closed temporarily (Victoria and Wellesley)
• Beresford Square is proposed to be closed to traffic • Eden Terrace/Mt Eden - diversions, temporary road closures, restricted road widths and temporary level crossings
Traffic Mitigation Mitigation measures will include: • Access to residential and commercial property maintained • Construction methodology to keep major roads open
• Key side roads not being closed at the same time • Consideration of construction staging to reduce impact • Changes to traffic signal phasing and operation • Temporary re-routing of bus services
• Encourage greater use of public transport through provision of park and ride facilities • Advanced communication of detours and reduced services to enable an informed choice
Construction Noise
Construction Noise • Construction noise will be typical of inner city construction • Undergrounding of route and use of TBM will result in significantly less noise than surface construction • Surface – noise at construction areas will likely be caused by:
• Excavation machinery (diggers and dump trucks) • Truck and vehicle movements • Piling (secant pile and diaphragm walls) • Hand held tools such as grinders, drills
• Demolition
Measuring Noise
Indicative Noise Contour- Newton •
Newton Station – diaphragm wall construction noise contours Existing Ambient Noise Level Construction Noise Source
Dundonald Street
Noise Monitoring and Mitigation • Noise monitoring is part of the Construction Noise and Vibration Management Plan • Noise monitoring prior to construction will establish a baseline noise profile – this has started • Monitoring will continue during construction to manage construction noise • Sensitive receivers will be identified and managed through the EMF
• Construction methodology can be varied to ensure noise is appropriately managed
Monitoring – Albert Street
Monitoring – Symonds Street
Monitoring – Brentwood Avenue
Vibration
3
Construction Vibration • Temporary and varying effects related to construction • Reduces with distance and the type of material being worked in • Preliminary indications are that there is little risk of vibration induced building damage and effects would likely be aesthetic
• Vibration from TBM will be minimal
3
Operational Vibration • Tunnels are very deep and this will minimise vibration • Operational vibration from trains is predicted to be within accepted international standards • Potential for implementation of mitigation measures at sensitive receivers (e.g. recording
studios, performing arts centres) such as: • Floating tracks to isolate the line in sensitive areas • Resilient rail fasteners or continuously welded rail
• Maintenance of rolling stock
Summary
Summary • The City Rail Link will build on past transport investment and release the capacity constraint at Britomart enabling faster, more frequent and reliable services
• Improved accessibility will lift Auckland’s economic performance and cater for a growing city
• Auckland Transport has confirmed a land footprint for the City Rail Link and has initiated planning processes to protect it
• Future construction effects will be managed through environmental management plans • Auckland Transport will be required to show that it can manage/mitigate effects as part of the Notice of Requirement and future resource consent processes
• If the CRL causes damage, AT will fix it
Questions
Noise contour- Mt Eden •
Inner West Interchange – surface works noise contours Existing Ambient Noise Level
Construction Noise Source
Brentwood Avenue
Noise contour-Aotea •
Aotea Station – secant piling on Albert Street noise contours Existing Ambient Noise Level
Construction Noise Source
Noise contour- Karangahape Rd •
Karangahape Station – diaphragm wall construction noise contours Existing Ambient Noise Level
Construction Noise Source
Beresford Square
Noise contour- Eden Terrace •
Main Construction Site – tunnelling services noise contours Existing Ambient Noise Level
Construction Noise Source
Settlement
Settlement • In Auckland, land rises and falls seasonally as groundwater levels vary- often seen as deep cracks in the lawn or doors that stick • The types of buildings encountered along the CRL route are many and varied • Preliminary assessments show vast majority will have negligible damage, cosmetic in nature and non-structural • Monitoring will be used to confirm assessments of the likelihood of any damage • Settlement and monitoring will be key elements of the resource consent and construction process • Auckland Transport will repair any settlement damage caused by the CRL
Settlement monitoring • An array of laser measured monitoring points is established before construction commences -some condition surveys undertaken
• Monitoring points selected on existing buildings around sites of all work areas • Regular readings taken prior, during and after construction completed • ‘Traffic light’ system of continuous monitoring to avoid exceeding pre-defined limits
Settlement monitoring regime BRITOMART – EXISTING CPO BUILDING
Monitoring equipment recording movement as the works proceed under the building.
Monitoring points fixed to existing walls
Operational noise • Tunnels – noise will be minimal due to the depth of the route and electric trains • Underground stations – noise from trains, passengers and public address systems will be minimal • Ventilation stacks- will be attenuated to reduce noise to appropriate levels
• Surface – where CRL joins existing train line adjacent to Mt Eden station, the existing rail corridor will be widened