Wairarapa Line - Service Disruption

What is happening?

Severe weather on Monday 16 February has damaged seven train carriages. Because of this, some Wairarapa Line services are affected.

Some trains are being replaced by buses.
Some trains are running with fewer carriages, so there are fewer seats available.
Some services do not have wheelchair access.
Some services will have less space than usual for bikes and luggage.

Please allow extra time for your journey and plan ahead before you travel.

Check the list of impacted services for this week below.

Service alerts(external link)

Which services are impacted?

Tuesday 3 March

Full train services will resume from Tuesday March 3, however they will be reduced in seating capacity.

Reduced seating

All services

Reduced seating and no wheelchair access

6:47am Masterton to Wellington services - reduced capacity and no wheelchair access

Friday 27 February

Bus replaced

6:20am Masterton to Wellington

Reduced seating and no wheelchair/mobility scooter access

5:30pm Wellington to Masterton

Reduced seating

6:18pm Wellington to Masterton

Accessible options for Friday 27 February:

5:46am Masterton to Wellington train
6:20am Masterton to Wellington bus replacement
6:47am Masterton to Wellington
4:25pm Wellington to Masterton train
6:18pm services Wellington to Masterton train

Saturday 28 February

Bus replaced between Petone and Wellington, and reduced bike and luggage capacity

All services will be replaced by buses between Petone and Wellington from tomorrow, Saturday 28 February until Sunday morning, 1 March due to planned works.

Sunday 1 March

Bus replaced between Petone and Wellington, and reduced bike and luggage capacity

7.45am Masterton to Wellington
9.55am Wellington to Masterton

Monday 2 March

Reduced seating

5:46am Masterton to Wellington

6:20am Masterton to Wellington

6:47am Masterton to Wellington

No wheelchair or mobility scooter access

8:21am Wellington to Masterton

12:45pm Wellington to Masterton

10:30am Masterton to Wellington

3:38pm Masterton to Wellington

Accessible options for Monday 2 March:

6:20am Masterton to Wellington train
6:47am Masterton to Wellington train
4:25pm Wellington to Masterton train
5:30pm Wellington to Masterton train

Catching bus replacements

Bus replacement locations

Buses replacing trains will stop at the train station's designated bus stop.

All bus replacing train services will arrive and depart from Platform 10 at Wellington Railway Station.

Wairarapa Line: Bus stop locations(external link)

Bus replacement timetables

Metlink website train timetable highlights train trips affected in pink. See bus replacement timetable (PDF) for bus departure times on the train timetable page or linked in the service alert by clicking "more information".

Or visit our Buses Replacing Trains page(external link)(external link) for monthly calendars and upcoming bus replacement timetables.

Tagging on and off bus replacement services

All rail customers using the bus-replacing-trains service should tag on and off on the bus, except for the Wairarapa Line customers who need to tag on and off at the platform.

If you are boarding the bus in Greytown, please tag on and off at the validator located outside 73 Main Street (Studio 73).

Off-peak fares will apply over the Waitangi long weekend as these apply on weekends and public holidays.

Frequently asked questions

The type of damage suffered to the carriages was consistent with a moving vehicle hitting a large tree e.g. smashed windows, damaged carriage body work, damaged handrails, and damaged carriage doors.

Because the rail line and roads were closed by the storm on 15 and 16 February, engineers could not reach Masterton to inspect the carriages until 10am on 17 February. The damaged carriages were collected at 6:20am on 18 February and delivered to Wellington for repairs at 9:30am.

Only five locomotives are equipped to operate Wairarapa Line services. Full services require four locomotives. All available carriages are currently in service.

The Wairarapa Line is the only Metlink service that uses carriages pulled by locomotives.

Redeployment of Metlink’s Matangi units to this service is not possible.

We anticipate full train services will resume within the next fortnight, however, there will be a period when trains will run with reduced capacity until enough carriages have been repaired.

Please check this page for updates.

Metlink contingency plans for severe weather are triggered by red weather warnings. Because the damage to our trains was caused by a tree falling onto the track during an orange warning, we are reviewing our contingency planning.

Current forecasts are based on the identified damaged carriages. Any additional disruptions will be communicated through our usual channels

All carriages undergo thorough safety and mechanical inspections, before being cleared for service.