1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:11,693 Speaker 1: from News Talks at Me. 3 00:00:12,933 --> 00:00:16,013 Speaker 2: So years ago when I first moved to New York, 4 00:00:16,053 --> 00:00:18,493 Speaker 2: I think, what was it like twenty started twenty twelve, 5 00:00:18,493 --> 00:00:21,253 Speaker 2: When the end of twenty eleven started twenty twelve, I 6 00:00:21,293 --> 00:00:25,253 Speaker 2: spent my first year living in a railroad apartment above 7 00:00:25,253 --> 00:00:29,773 Speaker 2: an Ecuadorian fruit shop on Second Avenue right, And to 8 00:00:29,813 --> 00:00:34,253 Speaker 2: be honest, it was a It was a character building experience. 9 00:00:35,493 --> 00:00:39,293 Speaker 2: I went weeks without heating or hot water in winter, 10 00:00:39,693 --> 00:00:44,013 Speaker 2: and my windows had almost no effect whatsoever, and keeping 11 00:00:44,053 --> 00:00:48,373 Speaker 2: out the ceaseless sound of trucks thundering past my bedroom 12 00:00:48,853 --> 00:00:52,573 Speaker 2: en route to restock the city. And when I first arrived, 13 00:00:53,213 --> 00:00:57,093 Speaker 2: they had just started construction on the Second av subway 14 00:00:57,293 --> 00:01:00,053 Speaker 2: a few blocks from my home, and the project at 15 00:01:00,053 --> 00:01:03,453 Speaker 2: the time was hitting a few speed bumps. Bedrock turned 16 00:01:03,453 --> 00:01:05,933 Speaker 2: out to be a whole lot deeper than anticipated, so 17 00:01:05,973 --> 00:01:08,173 Speaker 2: they needed to send the tunnel a whole lot deeper 18 00:01:08,173 --> 00:01:12,253 Speaker 2: than anticipated. A worker nearly died after being stuck in 19 00:01:12,413 --> 00:01:16,893 Speaker 2: waist deep slop on site, and what was supposed to 20 00:01:16,933 --> 00:01:21,173 Speaker 2: be a controlled explosion sent rocks flying all over a 21 00:01:21,173 --> 00:01:26,773 Speaker 2: busy Manhattan intersection. Curiously The second AB subway in New 22 00:01:26,893 --> 00:01:30,493 Speaker 2: York was first proposed in the nineteen twenties, which Wikipedia 23 00:01:30,613 --> 00:01:33,613 Speaker 2: no doubt reliably tells me was about the same time 24 00:01:34,213 --> 00:01:38,173 Speaker 2: that planers first mused over the possibility of the morning 25 00:01:38,293 --> 00:01:44,173 Speaker 2: side deviation a train tunnel in central Auckland. Stage one 26 00:01:44,333 --> 00:01:46,973 Speaker 2: of the Second AV subway was a three point two 27 00:01:47,173 --> 00:01:50,333 Speaker 2: kilometer tunnel. The Central rail Link is three point five 28 00:01:50,453 --> 00:01:54,333 Speaker 2: k Second AV ended up costing more than seven billion dollars. 29 00:01:54,333 --> 00:01:57,973 Speaker 2: The Central rail Link blew out, however, many times, but 30 00:01:58,093 --> 00:02:02,653 Speaker 2: at last check was just under six billion. The weird 31 00:02:02,693 --> 00:02:07,933 Speaker 2: thing about a big underground tunnel to our is that 32 00:02:08,013 --> 00:02:11,493 Speaker 2: most of us never fully appreciate the scale of the work. 33 00:02:12,053 --> 00:02:15,293 Speaker 2: It's obvious, I suppose, but even if you live and 34 00:02:15,373 --> 00:02:18,053 Speaker 2: work in the city, while you get used to a 35 00:02:18,053 --> 00:02:21,213 Speaker 2: few cones and traffic delays up above the ground, you 36 00:02:21,293 --> 00:02:26,333 Speaker 2: have no real perspective about the extraordinary activities happening somewhere 37 00:02:26,373 --> 00:02:30,973 Speaker 2: beneath your feet. It's different to a big stadium, or 38 00:02:31,013 --> 00:02:35,173 Speaker 2: a skyscraper or even a road. It all happens underground. 39 00:02:36,693 --> 00:02:40,253 Speaker 2: Organ Transport has this week released its updated transit map 40 00:02:40,453 --> 00:02:45,693 Speaker 2: with the CRLs stations. Apparently they've done sixteen hundred test 41 00:02:45,973 --> 00:02:49,093 Speaker 2: runs on the new Central Rail Link so far. So 42 00:02:49,133 --> 00:02:52,693 Speaker 2: they've run trains more than five thousand kilometers kai tires 43 00:02:52,733 --> 00:02:55,533 Speaker 2: are bluff two and a half times. They've been driving 44 00:02:55,573 --> 00:02:59,053 Speaker 2: trains at seventy kilometers an hour directly underneath Auckland CBD, 45 00:02:59,253 --> 00:03:02,173 Speaker 2: and at no point have I felt so much as 46 00:03:02,173 --> 00:03:05,453 Speaker 2: a rumble or a shudder. I reckon. Actually, the vast 47 00:03:05,493 --> 00:03:09,453 Speaker 2: majority of us up top have been absolutely none. The 48 00:03:09,493 --> 00:03:13,613 Speaker 2: wiser and the kid and me, who briefly considered becoming 49 00:03:13,653 --> 00:03:17,853 Speaker 2: an engineer and even volunteered to spend a school holiday 50 00:03:17,973 --> 00:03:21,933 Speaker 2: touring the Littleton Tunnel, can't help but think that is 51 00:03:22,053 --> 00:03:26,373 Speaker 2: pretty cool. After riding along on a VIP tour yesterday 52 00:03:26,373 --> 00:03:28,733 Speaker 2: with all of the politicians and the movers and shakers, 53 00:03:29,413 --> 00:03:32,773 Speaker 2: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown was in vintage Wayne Brown form. 54 00:03:33,093 --> 00:03:36,013 Speaker 2: How was it? The mayor was asked it was a 55 00:03:36,133 --> 00:03:39,293 Speaker 2: ride in a train? He said, we don't want excitement. 56 00:03:39,933 --> 00:03:43,573 Speaker 2: Well maybe not, but look, guilty is charged. Maybe it's 57 00:03:43,573 --> 00:03:46,213 Speaker 2: the engineering, Maybe it's the people watching. Maybe it's the 58 00:03:46,253 --> 00:03:49,253 Speaker 2: broader sense of you know, this kind of sense of 59 00:03:49,293 --> 00:03:52,893 Speaker 2: momentum and life. But whether it's a tube in underground 60 00:03:52,933 --> 00:03:57,533 Speaker 2: or a subway. I love a bit of subterranean mass transit. 61 00:03:58,293 --> 00:04:01,133 Speaker 2: You know you are a nerd when you're less excited 62 00:04:01,253 --> 00:04:05,013 Speaker 2: about the opening of New Zealand's first ikea than the 63 00:04:05,093 --> 00:04:08,013 Speaker 2: transport connection that you're going to take to get there. 64 00:04:09,133 --> 00:04:12,373 Speaker 2: It's funny. After years of construction, the second day of 65 00:04:12,413 --> 00:04:16,013 Speaker 2: subway opened in New York two weeks before I moved 66 00:04:16,013 --> 00:04:18,133 Speaker 2: back home, and one of the very last things I 67 00:04:18,173 --> 00:04:20,813 Speaker 2: did on my last few days living in New York 68 00:04:20,813 --> 00:04:24,773 Speaker 2: City was ride a loop. Not because I had somewhere 69 00:04:24,773 --> 00:04:26,973 Speaker 2: to be, but because I just wanted to see what 70 00:04:27,093 --> 00:04:29,893 Speaker 2: all of the fuss and money and effort had created 71 00:04:29,973 --> 00:04:33,973 Speaker 2: out of sight underneath my feet. Let me tell you 72 00:04:34,613 --> 00:04:38,293 Speaker 2: I cannot wait to do the same thing here soon. 73 00:04:39,213 --> 00:04:42,293 Speaker 1: For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live 74 00:04:42,413 --> 00:04:45,573 Speaker 1: to News talks'd B from nine am Saturday, or follow 75 00:04:45,613 --> 00:04:47,213 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.