Wairarapa Line Delays

Wairarapa Line customers are currently experiencing delays and disruption to their service. Several different factors – some planned, others unexpected – are contributing to this situation, and we are working hard to resolve as many as we can.

At all times our highest priority is safety.

Temporary speed restrictions (TSRs) keep passengers, crew and rail workers safe by making sure the train does not move too fast on old tracks, on newly laid tracks while they are bedding in and past active work sites along the rail corridor. We expect to lift a number of TSRs in the coming weeks as new track laid at Christmas is bedded in.

Rough riding (vibration) is affecting the line between Upper Hutt and Masterton. KiwiRail are exploring ways to alleviate this problem in the coming months. In the meantime, the trains are moving a little slower to make the journey more comfortable for passengers.

Renewal of the line (replacing old infrastructure with new) is a huge job because it has been deferred for so long. KiwiRail has made good progress re-laying the tracks, but there is a lot of work still to be done. For example, Kiwirail are still to complete the Remutaka Tunnel track renewal, further level crossing and signal upgrades in the Wairarapa and Wellington Station track upgrades. All of these projects are currently causing some delay to your journey.
Heat restrictions, which are put in place when there is a risk of track misalignment due to the temperature of the steel, are not having a large impact on Wairarapa Line services currently.

KiwiRail are working to minimise the impact this work is having to passengers but meanwhile, to help reduce these delays, Metlink have added an extra locomotive to selected Wairarapa Line services to try and reduce the turnaround time at each destination station.

We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our Wairarapa Line customers, and we thank you for bearing with us while we work on improving our service to you.