Work to resolve Wairarapa vibration issues begins this month
KiwiRail and Greater Wellington have commissioned an independent report into the vibration issues in the Wairarapa. This report has now been received and work to resolve the issues begins this month.
Read more in the full media release on KiwiRail's website.
FAQ's
What is the Beca report?
In early March 2024, KiwiRail and Greater Wellington engaged an independent consultancy, Beca, to undertake a review of the Wairarapa Line vibration issues.
Why was a report commissioned?
To better understand what caused the vibration issues and identify what actions should be undertaken to resolve them.
Who paid for the report?
The report was jointly paid for by KiwiRail and Greater Wellington.
What are the key recommendations?
The report recommended track grinding and carriage wheel reprofiling to reduce the impact of vibrations along the track. The report also recommended that some wider testing take place to determine whether there are any further instances of carriage vibration that have not yet been addressed.
What are the next steps?
We will be implementing the report’s recommendation and grinding the track to reduce the vibrations.
What is the timeframe for the work?
Grinding the new rail with a specialist machine will start on 26 May. Grinding on the 40km of track between Featherston and Masterton will take place at night, when passenger trains aren’t running.
The work is expected to take eight weeks to complete, at which point several of the carriage wheels will already have been reprofiled, and testing of the carriages can begin.
How will this affect me?
Once the grinding work has taken place, the train ride may feel smoother when travelling over those particular areas. Some carriages will have to be taken out of service to get their wheels reprofiled, this means that some services may run with one less carriage at random times until all the carriage work is completed.
Where can I find out more?
The full report is available to the public as a PDF here(external link).