Temporary Use of Old Parnell Tunnel During 1998 Auckland Power Crisis

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I remember that during the 1998 Auckland Power Crisis, a temporary overhead power line was installed next to the railway lines between Penrose and the CBD and made use of the old Parnell rail tunnel for its path underneath Parnell.

The temporary power line remained there for a few years until the Vector Tunnel (which runs between Penrose and the Auckland CBD) was completed and new power cables were brought into service.

Information about the 1998 power crisis is available at the following page... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Auckland_power_crisis

A photo of the temporary power cables, taken just north of the Parnell tunnel is contained within the following NZ Herald article... https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/a-crisis-recalled-the-power-cuts-that-plunged-the-auckland-cbd-in-darkness-for-five-weeks/IZBJMV3I4H4FOQIX3MIG5JBN3Y/

This power cable was a notable and rather unique use of a disused rail tunnel, and I therefore think it should be included in this article, however I cannot find any official sources of information to cite etc. Is anyone able to assist with gathering this information and adding it to this article?

Thanks, Jonathan. Saddlebeast (talk) 09:56, 16 July 2022 (UTC)Reply