15 January 2024
Richard Grant
Via FYI website: [FYI request #25081 email]
Dear Mr Grant
City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) – Official Information Act request
We refer to your Official Information Act 1982 (“
OIA”) request dated 8 December 2023 OIA-107 for
the following:
•
Please could you provide any information you have regarding the cost of the above-ground
infrastructure at the stations you are constructing, including the that it occupies.
•
Please could you also provide any information you have explaining the reasons for creating
this above-ground infrastructure, in light of the cost of its construction and the land that it
occupies.
•
Finally, please could you provide any information you have explaining the difference in
service standards that this above-ground infrastructure will offer passengers, compared with
the alternative approach used my most underground railways in major cities (such as London
or New York), where most stations have zero above-ground infrastructure and land
occupation, aside from a staircase leading down from the street.
Response
Unfortunately, the information you have requested regarding the cost of the above-ground
infrastructure at the stations CRL Ltd is delivering does not exist. The cost of the above-ground
infrastructure cannot be separated from the cost of underground works as the project is split into
contract packages that combine both. Accordingly, your request is refused pursuant to section
18(e) of the OIA.
Regarding your requests for any information related to the reasoning behind the creation of the
above-ground infrastructure and difference in service standards it will offer passengers, CRL Ltd was
established in 2017 to deliver a project that had already been designed and consented by Auckland
City Rail Link Ltd - Level 2, 25 Teed Street, Newmarket, Auckland 1023 | PO Box 9681, Newmarket, Auckland 1149, New Zealand
Transport. Therefore, any decisions regarding above-ground infrastructure were made before CRL
Ltd came into existence.
To assist you with your request for information, CRL Ltd researched several relevant project
documents and contacted several technical experts who were involved in the development of the
project’s business case prior to the establishment of CRL Ltd Ltd. In doing so, we have been unable
to locate a specific document that provides an assessment of alternative options or cost-benefit
analysis that specifically relates to ‘above-ground’ versus ‘below-ground’ station infrastructure. We
are therefore refusing your request under section 18(e) of the OIA because we cannot locate the
requested information despite reasonable efforts.
However, the technical experts we contacted have provided the following information to answer
your information request – which you may find helpful.
The number of stations, station locations, and station ‘forms’ (i.e., the stations being predominantly
‘above-ground’) were the subject of an evolving options evaluation and concept design process
leading up to the Notice of Requirement process that commenced in 2012 for establishing the CRL
designations.
A wide range of factors have contributed to the final form of the stations including accommodation
of critical systems for fire and life safety, urban design, and mobility access to achieve modern
standards. As per your information request, many overseas underground railways were established
a long time ago, and therefore inconsistent with modern station design and operations.
In addition to providing for passenger entry/exit, the stations need to accommodate multiple
systems and equipment that are critical to the operation of the railway and fire safety. Not all of
this can be accommodated below-ground.
For example, most of the above-ground southern entrance building at Te Waihorotiu Station
accommodates ventilation, power distribution, communications and other equipment. To locate all
this underground would have required significantly more land acquisition, greater cost, and add
complexity to access for future and ongoing maintenance.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Kurtovich
General Counsel and Company Secretary
City Rail Link Limited
