Wairarapa train punctuality plummets as complaints skyrocket

KiwiRail has confirmed it is working as quickly as it can to remedy the speed restrictions on the Wairarapa Line.

The punctuality of Wairarapa’s train network continues to be deemed “unsatisfactory” with only 5.8 per cent of trains arriving at key stations and their final destination within five minutes of schedule in February.

A punctuality rating below 90 per cent is labelled “unsatisfactory” by Greater Wellington Regional Council. This metric does not factor in buses replacing trains.

Latest figures show 96 per cent of trains departed on time in February, meaning slower speeds are to blame for their late arrivals. The departing time is said to “need improvement” by standards set by the regional council.

In February, Greater Wellington Regional Council announced trains would be slowed for months because of newly laid tracks causing vibration issues with the carriages using them.

KiwiRail has since confirmed the new track was built to the same standards and tolerances as other new tracks around New Zealand.

Regional Council chair Daran Ponter told NZME the council is still working with KiwiRail on a solution.

“It’s not one of those situations that anybody really wants to be in, but there’s no easy fix,” Ponter said in an interview.

KiwiRail Metros general manager Jon Knight said various speed restrictions have been in force, partially due to “the age of the Wairarapa Line”.

“KiwiRail is currently in the middle of a $375 million upgrade of the ageing Wairarapa Line, to enable more reliable and frequent services for passengers. This includes work to support Greater Wellington Regional Council’s new hybrid trains,” Knight said.

He said the state-owned-enterprise and Greater Wellington Regional Council are working together to fully understand the cause of the issue.

“We aim to rectify it, so that the speed restrictions can be lifted, as quickly as we can.”

An update from Metlink suggests KiwiRail has so far replaced 40km of rails and sleepers in Wairarapa, with a lot of work still to be done. There are said to be about 15 minutes’ worth of delays on the line, some of which are due to the issue of vibrations caused by the too-narrow track.

The update confirms KiwiRail plans to shut down the train network over Christmas to complete the “last renewal job” of replacing 8.8km of track in the Remutaka Tunnel, so trains can go above their temporary limit of 60km/h.

A Greater Wellington Regional Council agenda suggests complaints about Wairarapa’s train network reached a two-year-high in January, and remain above average throughout February.

Meanwhile, the data shows that in February, 1.6 per cent of buses in Wairarapa were cancelled and 89.3 per cent of bus services left between one minute early and five minutes late of the original schedule.

This has also been deemed “unsatisfactory” based on the regional council’s set standards.

Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022 and has a keen interest in city council decisions, public service agency reform and transport.