Demolition of Newmarket West, the temporary station at Kingdon St, will be in full swing by Monday.
This despite a last-minute plea from ARC Chairman Mike Lee to KiwiRail’s CEO a few days ago asking for KiwiRail to refrain from spending any money on demolition activity at this time and asking for talks about it in the New Year in the hope of keeping it going.

Demolition of the other temporary Newmarket station, Newmarket South at Remuera Rd, has begun and I can reveal that the workers will move over to do Kingdon St when this demolition is completed.

I’m told that extra workers have been brought in to speed up the work.

As I reported a few days ago, this decision was made in secret without any public notification and has even caught ARC Chairman Mike Lee by surprise.

Demolition of the Newmarket South station is now in full swing. It’s being dismantled piece by piece and that work, originally scheduled to take a couple of days, may be completed late tonight because of the extra manpower being used.

SPEEDY: Workers this afternoon are making quick work of demolishing Newmarket South


The work around Remuera Rd and the new Newmarket station is on a tight schedule. The major project there this week is the demolition of the existing rail overbridge at St Mark’s Rd which will be completed over the next four days. At the same time, retaining walls are being built from the track level to the base of the bridge abutments to support the new structure.

Diggers arrive first thing tomorrow morning around the area where the temporary Newmarket South platform was so this was another incentive to speed up work.
Demolition of the Newmarket West station is expected to be completed by the end of Monday or by lunchtime Tuesday.
Meanwhile Maxx signs have been placed at the Kingdon St station announcing that the station is officially closed. And in case there’s any doubt, the signs conclude: “We look forward to welcoming you to the new Newmarket station opening 18 January 2010.”

MY EARLIER POSTS:
Dec 25 – I publish ARC’s email to KiwiRail CEO over Kingdon St -in full

Dec 21 – Forbidden Kingdon – I reveal secret decision that the station is to be demolished

Nov 30- Arm wrestle developing over Kingdon St – behind the scenes backgrounder

Reader Roger Kirk photographed the last trains to use the temporary stations when they stopped there on Christmas Eve (below). Thanks Roger for sharing them.


Related posts:

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  3. ARC Chair’s Last Minute “Dear Jim” Letter Over Newmarket West Station ARC chairman Mike Lee has made a desperate last-minute Christmas...
  4. Arm Wrestle over Kingdon Back in September, I blogged that discussions were taking place...
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