Repairs delay

The railway line between Auckland and Northland, badly damaged during the flooding events in late January and February, will probably be closed until at least the end of the year, KiwiRail has confirmed.

The freight service between Whangārei and Auckland has been a major route for southbound cement, clay and dairy products. Severe flooding at the end of January brought down a massive slip near Tahekeroa, between Makarau and Puhoi, involving an estimated 35,000 cubic metres of debris. That was followed by dozens more slips elsewhere along the North Auckland Line (NAL) during Cyclone Gabrielle.

“There were more than 200 damage sites along the entire length of the NAL, including slips onto and beneath the rail line, slumps and washouts,” KiwiRail executive general manager, operations Paul Ashton said. “Ongoing weather has made the state of some sites worse.

“Where it’s practical, we are looking to do temporary fixes so that the line can reopen, with permanent fixes coming later. However, at least 10 sites will require a significant engineering response – which will take time – and a temporary fix may not be possible.”

With infrastructure also badly damaged in Auckland, East Coast and Hawkes Bay, there’s a high demand for specialist geotechnical and engineering design resources, Ashton said.

“This is slowing down procurement and delivery of the assessments and designs needed to repair and reopen the NAL. “We are preparing a work programme so that as soon those detailed engineering designs are done, repairs can begin immediately.”

Ashton said in the meantime, KiwiRail was advancing work on upgrading the line between Whangārei and Kauri, north of Whangārei, laying 7.8km of new rail