City Rail Link emergency preparedness put to the test

Fire and Emergency Te Hiku Regional Headquarters recently hosted a comprehensive series of tabletop exercises focused on emergency preparedness within the City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel and station environments.

The sessions brought together key stakeholders from across the transport and emergency response sectors to collaboratively test and refine procedures in a controlled setting.

National Operations Advisor Infrastructure Brett Dickie said participating organisations included Auckland Transport, One Rail, KiwiRail, Link Alliance, Downer, NZ Police, Hato Hone St John, Auckland City Council and Fire and Emergency Operational crews and Assistant Commanders. The exercises also involved customer service teams, rail operators, maintenance staff, emergency responders, and communication centre personnel, ensuring an end-to-end approach.

‘Over the course of the week, scenarios were designed to escalate in both severity and complexity. These ranged from simple alarm activations to full-scale structure fires, as well as non-fire incidents such as overcrowding and mass evacuations. Each scenario tested initial response actions through to business-as-usual (BAU) restoration, with a strong focus on interoperability and procedural alignment across organisations.’

Brett said the exercises proved highly successful, offering valuable insights into the effectiveness of current procedures and highlighting opportunities for improvement.

‘They allowed organisations to assess their own protocols while gaining a deeper understanding of how these intersect with others in the CRL environment.

‘The lessons learned from these tabletop exercises will inform planning and are expected to be tested in live CRL environments in early 2026. This initiative marks a significant step forward in ensuring coordinated, efficient, and safe responses to potential emergencies within one of Auckland’s most critical infrastructure projects.’