The Green Party celebrated the National Government's U-turn on the City Rail Link (CRL), with a mock-opening of the planned Karangahape rail station, which will be built on the site of its Auckland office.
The Prime Minister, in his speech to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce today, committed to work with Auckland Council to allow major works to begin on the CRL in 2018.
Karangahape Station will be built on the CRL route, and the Mercury Lane entrance constructed on the site of the current Green Party office. The Party will vacate its Mercury Lane headquarters this year, ahead of work beginning in 2017.
“While it’s sad to say goodbye to our Auckland office, we are celebrating a major victory. The City Rail Link is a project that Green Party MPs and volunteers have been campaigning for since 2010,” said Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter.
“Today’s announcement has removed the last remaining obstacle, the National Government, in the way of Auckland's most critical piece of transport infrastructure.
“We love our Auckland office, but we’ll be very happy to leave to make way for this vital piece of infrastructure for Aucklanders,” said Ms Genter.