The "build is on" for Auckland's $2.5 billion City Rail Link, but most of the work is taking place behind the scenes.

Work is underway to move pipes, cables and stormwater drains across Queen Street and up Albert Street to make way for the massive rail tunnel.

City Rail Link project director Chris Meale told Newstalk ZB there is a big stormwater drain down the middle of Albert Street which has been relocated.

"When you start digging up the streets, they're full of 150 years of services. So most of the work that's happening right at the moment has been moving those services out of the way."

The Commerce Street entrance of Britomart Transport Centre has also been closed for expansion and renovation for the next six months.

But Mr Meale said officials are also getting the paperwork ready for a busy tendering process over the next few months.

"We have our design team which is completing their design work for the rest of the project, effectively from Wellesley Street South right to Mount Eden, and that's a huge piece of work."

Take a Pokemon Go tour of the City Rail Link construction site...

1. Britomart

The Pokemon: Zubat is a bat which is quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does that because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned.

The situation: Auckland Transport says “a new entrance to Britomart will be built in Commerce Street to replicate the historic building which will be closed early next year to allow the tunnels to be built beneath it”. The temporary station will be finished early next year and will house “the ticketing office, retail units and main entrance” until 2020. Council reports show the work was contracted to start in July.

The stuff you need to know: The underpass from Britomart Station to Queen Elizabeth Square is closed. The Commerce Street entrance to Britomart is closed. Bus stops have moved.

 

2. Lower Queen Street

The Pokemon: Magicarp is a fish out of water. According to the official description, it is “a pathetic excuse for a Pokemon that is only capable of flopping and splashing” and scientists are trying to research why it does this. It evolves into the wildly violent atrocious Gyarados.

The situation: City Rail Link boss Chris Meale says the first stages of work have reached a “very exciting stage” after several years of planning. A simultaneous construction programme has started to replace Downtown Shopping Centre with New Zealand's tallest tower. The 39-storey Commercial Bay office building is due to open in mid-2019, and will incorporate a 105-store shopping centre which is due to open in October 2018.

The stuff you need to know: Lower Queen Street has been closed to cars, and events and activities are being held on the newly created public space. Downtown Shopping Centre and QE Square have also closed. Bus stops have been moved and extra bus lanes are being added on Queen Street

 

3. Bottom of Albert Street

The Pokemon: The Weedle is a hairy bug with an extremely acute sense of smell. It can distinguish leafs it likes from leafs it doesn’t like by sniffing with its big red nose. It evolves from into Kakuna, which evolves into Beedrill.

The situation: The lower Albert Street area is being used for the demolition and redevelopment of the Downtown Shopping Centre. Auckland Transport says “the south-bound lanes are being used as a construction area for the shopping centre” over the next few years. The 39-storey Commercial Bay complex will fully open about mid-2019.

The stuff you need to know: The eastern footpath, southbound lanes and PwC air bridge are closed. You can’t turn right from Customs Street into lower Albert Street and you can’t turn left from Quay Street into lower Albert Street.

 

4. Swanson Street

The Pokemon: Zubat is a wing-flapping bat which evolves into Golbat. Golbat loves the blood of living things and is most active in the pitch black of night. The official description of this Pokemon says it flits around in the night skies, seeking fresh blood.

The situation: City Rail Link boss Chris Meale says “when you start digging up the streets, they’re full of 150 years worth of services, so most of the work that has been happening at the moment has been about moving those services out of the way.” An Auckland Council report shows a shaft site is being set up on Swanson Street for the boring of a new storm water main.

The stuff you need to know: Swanson Street is closed from Albert Street to Mills Lane but you can still walk through. Mills Lane is open.

 

5. Wyndham Street

The Pokemon: Zubat is a bat Pokemon that pops up in sports stadiums, parks and most parts of the City Rail Link construction site. It has proven easy to find and elusive to catch. The trick, according to PC Mag, is to keep your finger down on the Pokeball until a green circle appears around the Pokemon.

The situation: City Rail Link boss Chris Meale says “most of the work that’s happening now is moving services” and Wyndham Street is another place where work is underway to move pipes and cables.

The stuff you need to know: There is a new road layout between Hobson Street and Queen Street.

 

6. Albert Street

The Pokemon: Zubat is a bat Pokemon which is two down the evolutionary ladder from the Crobat. The official description says if a Crobat flies with only its front wings or back wings, it has been flying a long distance. It if switches the wings, it is tired.

The situation: An Auckland Council report says utilities are being diverted before they start doing piling and cut-and-cover work. CRL boss Chris Meale says “moving services allows us to get in and create a new storm water main.” He says “it presently runs right under the middle of Albert Street", in the middle of where the CRL tunnels are supposed to go, "so we have to create a new storm water line to allow us to tunnel". An Auckland Council official reckons there are going to be about 30 traffic changes as utility workers move up and down digging up different parts of the street.

The stuff you need to know: Albert Street is down to two narrow lanes and the speed limit is 30 kilometres per hour. The road layout is changing often and you are probably going to experience delays if you drive down the street.

 

7. Sky Screamer corner

The Pokemon: Bellsprout is a flower, and its thin and flexible body allows it to bend and sway to avoid any attack. But it’s also a bit of a liability next to a large metal structure, since it spits corrosive fluids from its mouth which can melt pretty much anything including iron.

The situation: An Auckland Council report says a large sound-proof working enclosure is being built on Victoria Street, near the Albert Street intersection. A micro-tunnel boring machine is being used to drill a small tunnel for the storm water main. The machine will be operating from a very deep launch shaft, and tunneling north to Swanson Street and south to Wellesley Street. More tunneling will be done across Albert Street to another deep shaft on upper Victoria Street. The lower site will eventually be the main entrance to the Aotea Station of the City Rail Link.

The stuff you need to know: There is a new road layout on Victoria Street between Albert Street and Queen Street with narrower lanes and footpaths.

 

8. Sky Tower base

The Pokemon: Zubat is basically just a really annoying bat that seems to get on the nerves of many Pokemon Go players. Gamespot reviewer Randolph Ramsay summed it up perfectly when he said it was “small and fidgety” and “a low value good for nothing” Pokemon which is hard to catch and hardly worth the effort.

The situation: An Auckland Council report says a deep shaft has been set up on upper Victoria Street, across from the deep shaft on lower Victoria Street. Tunneling work will be done between the two shafts, which are labelled with signs Victoria 1 and Victoria 2.

The stuff you need to know: There is a new road layout on Victoria Street between Hobson Street and Albert Street with narrower lanes and footpaths.

 

9. AA corner

The Pokemon: Abra is a psi which sleeps for eighteen hours a day, and seems to like sleeping outside the central Auckland AA office. It can sense the presence of foes even when it is sleeping and can immediately teleport to safety.

The situation: An Auckland Council report shows work is getting underway to use a boring machine to put in a new storm water main along Albert Street between Victoria Street and Wellesley Street, and tunneling will also be done across Albert Street.

The stuff you need to know: A bus and turning lane is closed to give left-turning vehicles space to navigate the sharp corner, and road layouts could change regularly.

 

10. Auckland Council intersection

The Pokemon: Jigglypuff is a cute balloon. According to the Pokemon’s official description, its vocal cords can freely adjust the wavelength of its voice. It uses this ability to sing at precisely the right wavelength to make its foes feeling drowsy.

The situation: An Auckland Council report shows a shaft site is being set up on Wellesley Street for the boring machine that is tunneling the new storm water main. Across the road, the council is “looking at alternative uses” for the recently demolished Griffith Building on the corner of Wellesley Street and Mayoral Drive, which will eventually become part of the Aotea Station site for the City Rail Link,.

The future: City Rail Link boss Chris Meale says a design team is “completing their design work for the rest of the project, effectively from Wellesley Street south right to Mt Eden”. The designs will be needed over the next few months, when international contractors start being invited to a tendering process for the rest of the City Rail Link.

The stuff you need to know: There is a new road layout on Wellesley Street between Albert Street and Queen Street with narrower lanes and footpaths.