Auckland's proposed billion dollar City Rail Link has taken another step forward.
Auckland Transport has given the contracts for the start of the project in the downtown area to two consortiums.
They are Downer NZ and Soletanche Bachy JV, and Connectus, which is McConnell Dowell and Hawkins JV.
The first phase of design will cost of about $3 million.
In trying to understand the shifting sands of Auckland's proposed $2.5 billion City Rail Link, remember London Underground's mantra - "Mind the Gap".
Construction of a light rail network that could cost more than $1 billion could get under way in Auckland within a year. Video, Audio
The Labour Party says the proposed light rail network and the City Rail Link could together resolve Auckland's ever-growing traffic woes.
Auckland Council has sold Queen Elizabeth Square to developer Precinct Properties for $27 million.
As the year ends, Todd Niall considers the flipsides of rising house prices and the cost of tackling traffic congestion in the country's largest city.
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