Manawatu rail line to be closed all week

Photo / Graeme Brown

A slip that derailed a freight train carrying milk through the Manawatu Gorge is expected to take at least until the end of the week to clear.

The train, which was heading to Taranaki, hit a slip on the eastern side of the gorge about 5am on Saturday.

The locomotive's crew were shaken but unhurt.

Today KiwiRail spokeswoman Jenni Austin said alternative arrangements had been made to ensure necessary freight movements continued while the slip is cleared.

The locomotive was derailed when it hit the slip and could not be moved until the debris was cleared from the tracks, she said.

Site assessments carried out today indicated that around 10,000 cubic metres of debris needed to be removed from the track.

The constrained site and limited access meant debris must be removed by rail from the gorge, she said.

"Work trains are hauling the excavated material out through both ends of the gorge."

None of the train's wagons were derailed and all were removed and rerouted through Wellington to their destination on Saturday afternoon.

- NZPA