City Rail construction on track at Mt Eden
Tunnelling work is steaming ahead under central Auckland as part of the City Rail Link project.
Construction during the holiday period has kept the infrastructure project on track for Tunnel Boring Machine work to start at the Mt Eden site in April.
“Since last Boxing Day our tireless crews have been going flat-stick in some pretty hot conditions and with hardly a breather – working seven days a week and sometimes around the clock,” said Nick Adams, North Auckland Line Deputy Construction Manager for the Link Alliance.
“Mt Eden’s big and complex with a lot going on and the holiday break’s been a great opportunity to keep the foot down firmly on the construction pedal and accelerate work. "
Mt Eden is home to the southern portal of the City Rail Link tunnel, New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project which will connect with the existing western Line.
The Link Alliance is delivering the main stations, tunnels and rail systems for the project.
Adams said the alliance's collaboration with KiwiRail over its closure of the western line for maintenance helped workers to forge ahead.
“With the line temporarily closed to trains, it made it safer for us to work in and around the rail corridor and complete a lot of our necessary work.”
The Link Alliance’s programme included track changes to prepare for the City Rail Link connection, relocating utilities, building retaining walls and new drains, piling and work associated with new bridges.
Meanwhile, there has been ongoing mining of the first 51 metres of tunnel to pave the way for the tunnel boring machine.
Go to www.cityraillink.co.nz... for more information.
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Cost of living: How to get $110 off your electricity bill through Power Credits Scheme
Some Kiwis can expect their power bill to rise this month for the third year in a row as the low-user charge is phased out – but there's a payment available for people who are struggling.
It's the third year in a row that low-power users are facing increasing fixed costs as the low-power users scheme is phased out.
To help the industry set up the $5 million Power Credits Scheme which means eligible households can access credit during the transition.
The phase out which began in 2022 will see fixed costs for low users rise every april for five years.
The scheme means households who are supplied by Contact, Meridian, Mercury, Genesis, Nova, Wise, Globug, Powershop, Frank or Toast Electric can access a $110 payment if they’re in hardship. So far $1.4 million has been paid out.
The scheme is run by the Electricity Retailers’ Association of New Zealand. Chief executive Bridget Abernethy told Consumer NZ households showing signs of energy hardship can get the payment. But Abernethy said each power company will have its own criteria for what energy hardship looks like.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said removing the "low Fixed Charge Tariff regulations is essential for creating a fairer playing field for all New Zealand households".
However, the MBIE website acknowledged the phase-out could be challenging for some households.
"While all households are expected to benefit in the long term from the regulations being removed, some households may face higher power bills," the website said.
The credit can help households adjust, it added.
The decision to remove the low user charge was made by the then Labour Government in 2021 who called it "poorly targeted".
Then Energy Minister Megan Woods said it would mean three in five households could benefit from lower power bills.
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