KiwiRail three-week line closures: Wellington upgrade push

KiwiRail three-week line closures took trains off Wellington’s rail network from December 26 to January 12, creating a summer window for intensive Wellington rail maintenance and upgrade work across the region, as set out in a KiwiRail update on the Wellington works.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Over the three-week shutdown, teams renewed track, repaired bridges, strengthened tunnels and delivered Wellington level crossing upgrades aimed at improving resilience and reliability over the longer term. KiwiRail said the work is needed to prepare Wellington Metro for increased services and the new trains planned for the Wairarapa and Manawatū lines from 2029; a broader view of rail network modernisation in New Zealand has also been discussed in Railway Supply’s overview of rail network modernisation in New Zealand. The operator described the push as “all hands to the pump” to complete the programme before services resumed on Monday.

KiwiRail three-week line closures: key projects completed

Ava Bridge in Lower Hutt was among the highlighted sites, with new rails and sleepers now in place. KiwiRail said the area will soon be ready for Hutt City Council to begin work on the walkway.

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In Kāpiti, KiwiRail upgraded the Otaihanga level crossing to provide motorists with a smoother surface. Earthworks also got underway at Naenae and Trentham ahead of two new substations due to arrive later this year. Alongside those projects, crews carried out essential maintenance across large parts of the network, including replacing track and ballast.

Wellington level crossing upgrades on the Wairarapa Line

Work is continuing on the Wairarapa Line level crossing upgrade programme. KiwiRail said the current focus is Bell Street in South Wairarapa and Norfolk Road at Waingawa.

Metlink bus replacement services and disruption during closures

Wellington Metro General Manager Andy Lyon thanked commuters and local residents for their patience, with trains replaced by buses during the closures. He said the switch is inconvenient and that, even with best efforts, some noise and disruption is unavoidable for people living close to work sites.

Metlink acknowledged there were issues with commuter bus replacement services as people returned to work on Monday, with Radio New Zealand’s reporting on the disruption capturing passenger feedback from that period. Acting General Manager Paul Tawharu said replacements remain a “constant area for improvement,” noting that where there’s a train, multiple buses are needed to keep the network moving during critical rail upgrades.

He said Metlink trialled new real-time tracking for bus replacements over the summer and quickly learned where coordinating timings and connections was causing problems. Tawharu added that when issues are detected, Metlink works with rail operator Transdev to understand what went wrong and what needs to be done to fix it, and he thanked passengers for their patience and understanding.

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