KiwiRail to urgently inspect Wellington rail lines

There will be bus replacements for passenger services and no freight trains will run on the three lines. Photo / Mark Mitchell

KiwiRail is urgently inspections rail lines in Wellington after trains were brought to a halt this month because of multiple power outages.

All services in and out of the city were suspended on January 10 and three trains, containing 129 passengers and six crew, were stuck between stations.

The Hutt Valley, Melling and Wairarapa lines will now close between 9.30am and 2.30pm from Tuesday through to Friday next week for urgent inspections of overhead power cables.

There will be bus replacements for passenger services and no freight trains will run on the three lines.

Many residents in the capital return from their holidays and start back at work on Tuesday after Wellington Anniversary weekend.

Metlink said KiwiRail told officials this week the inspection of overhead power cables was essential during daylight for safety reasons and to avoid a repeat of the January 10 outages.

“While KiwiRail is also conducting inspections during pre-planned intervals over the anniversary weekend, next week’s urgent inspections are required to complete the work and minimise further disruption,” Metlink said.

“Metlink acknowledges its rail passengers will be inconvenienced while the inspections take place and is grateful for their understanding of the need for the work to be done.”

Passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journeys and should check the Metlink website or app before travelling next week.

Last year thousands of passengers were affected when KiwiRail announced its only specialist track evaluation car, which measures tracks across the country so trains can operate safely, was broken.

It meant only half the number of usual services in the capital could run. One passenger said: “It was beyond any worst-case scenario I’d imagined”.

The Government moved quickly and ordered an urgent review of whether KiwiRail was appropriately focused on delivering reliable commuter services and what changes were needed to prevent a similar situation from happening again.

The report said there was insufficient money to maintain the network in a “steady state”.

“While the steady state funding gap is small, it results in a disproportionate level of distraction for participants.”

KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy said at the time they were committed to providing a safe and reliable rail network for all commuters.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.