Auckland opens City Rail Link, built by VINCI with Herrenknecht technology

VINCI Construction Grands Projets (France) is the lead contractor within the "Link Alliance" consortium (with Downer, WSP, AECOM, Tonkin+Taylor) for Contract 3 (3.45 km twin tunnel, underground stations, rail systems), with a contract value of NZD 1.658 billion (approx. EUR 970 million). Soletanche Bachy (France, a VINCI subsidiary) was also Downer's joint-venture partner for Contract 1 (initial tunnel sections, restoration of the historic Chief Post Office building). The tunnel boring machine "Dame Whina Cooper" used to bore the tunnels was custom-built for Auckland's ground conditions by German market leader Herrenknecht (Schwanau).

City Rail Link is a 3.45 km underground rail tunnel with two new stations beneath central Auckland; total cost around NZD 5.5 billion, with opening announced for the second half of 2026. European involvement is documented at the industrial level: French company VINCI (via VINCI Construction Grands Projets and subsidiary Soletanche Bachy) is main contractor on two of the construction packages, and the tunnel boring machine used was supplied by German manufacturer Herrenknecht. Update (7 Oct 2026): The City Rail Link opened to passengers on Sunday 13 September 2026, with the new stations Te Waihorotiu, Karanga-a-Hape and Maungawhau; the first weekday timetable applied from 14 September. About 14,300 people used the rail network on the first day; a small cable fire forced the evacuation of Waitematā station in the morning and caused delays until midday (Auckland Transport, 6 Aug 2026; The Spinoff, 14 Sep 2026).