Rail upgrade on track

JULIA WADE

17 Jan, 2022

Improvements to rail winding through east Kaipara’s countryside have been fast-tracked recently as KiwiRail pushed on with upgrades to Northland’s moth-balled train lines.

KiwiRail crews took advantage of a temporary network closure over the Christmas holiday period, from December 26 to January 11, to accelerate work to re-lay tracks in the north, as part of the multi-million dollar upgrade to Northland rail, a company spokesperson says.

“The usual weekday freight service between Auckland and Whangarei was suspended to allow for a major works programme to be delivered in Auckland. During this time KiwiRail track teams were able to work at multiple sites along the line, upgrading the track by replacing worn rail and sleepers.”

Rail line crews laid 2500 sleepers and 1.75km of rail through Kaiwaka, on either side of the Oneriri Road crossing and several bridges in the area have also been strengthened.

The reconstruction is part of KiwiRail’s overhaul of the line to improve rail connections and journey times in Northland after receiving nearly $205 million from the government Provincial Growth Fund in 2020, which also includes rebuilding and lowering the floors of 13 tunnels to enable hi-cube containers, a new container terminal at Otiria and construction of a rail link to Northport at Marsden Point.

Currently only one weekday return service operates on the Northland line, however KiwiRail expects the trips to increase once the entire upgrade is completed. The line south of Whangarei is expected to be completed in the early winter of 2022, the spokesperson says, and then KiwiRail will focus on upgrading and reopening the line between Kauri and Otiria, north of Whangarei.

Keen Kaipara train travellers will still have to journey north or south by vehicle however, as KiwiRail has no current plans to run passenger services on the line.

Through the 1950s people could travel three times a week from Auckland to Whangarei on the Northland Express, a mere five hour-plus journey. Railcars and then mixed freight and passenger trains were used for northern travel, however as the slow pace made the trip unpopular, people’s journey north via train was stopped permanently in its tracks in 1976.

Work being fast-tracked at Oneriri Road crossing. Rail lines through east Kaipara’s countryside have remained quiet over the festive season as all trains took a break, allowing for KiwiRail to move forward on the multi-million dollar Northland rail upgrade. PHOTO/JULIA WADE