The capacity of the East Coast Main Trunk railway between Hamilton and Tauranga is to double thanks to a half million dollar extension of a train passing loop.
KiwiRail and the Waikato Regional Council have agreed to add 1.3km to the loop halfway between Tauranga and Hamilton, at the Tamihanajunction of the Kinleith branch line. It will bring the loop's total length to 2.2km.
The announcement follows KiwiRail last month increasing the number of freight trains running between Auckland and Tauranga by an additional 15 return services a week.
Once work on the Tamihana loop finishes later this year, the line's capacity will double to four trains an hour - two in each direction. Three other rail loops have already been extended elsewhere on the line to allow for longer trains and more flexibility, driven by the requirements of the Port of Tauranga.
A passing loop allows opposing trains to pass each other on a single line. The more loops, the more trains can run along it.
KiwiRail's northern regional manager for infrastructure and engineering Stephen Collett said other improvements to the business had boosted KiwiRail's ability to service new clients.
The project is the final stage of $13 million worth of improvements to rail infrastructure in the Waikato region during the past five years .
