Passenger rail journeys on the Wairarapa Line are now quicker after the lifting of a temporary speed restriction (TSR) enforced in April, following track renewal near Featherston.

Vibrations in Metlink carriages when travelling along the new track resulted in passenger trains being slowed from 90 to 60 km/h along a 16km section of the line.

Greater Wellington deputy chair and Wairarapa councillor Adrienne Staples says months of hard work by KiwiRail and Metlink operator Transdev / Hyundai Rotem led to the TSR being lifted on 17 October.

“We’re grateful to KiwiRail for grinding miles of track and to Hyundai Rotem for lathing dozens of carriage wheels – a combination of two huge pieces of work that have fixed the vibration issue,” Cr Staples says.

“While journeys for Wairarapa passengers are now quicker, we acknowledge there is still work to do – with several other TSRs on the line frustrating our customers.

“With our partners, we’ll continue to focus on the maintenance and renewal work required to lift the speed restrictions and the quality of service. We’re grateful for our passengers’ patience while we carry out this important work.”

KiwiRail Manager Metros Jon Knight says upgrading the Wairarapa Line is a major undertaking, and good progress is being made – with bridges replaced, track rebuilt and level crossing work to improve safety well underway.

“Over Christmas we take another leap forward by replacing the 70-year-old track inside Remutaka Tunnel. It’s the first time there has been a full track replacement since the tunnel was built in 1955,” Mr Knight says.

“Not only does it ensure the rail line will last well into the future, once the work is complete, we will be able to lift the long-standing 60kmh speed restriction in the nearly 9km tunnel, further reducing journey times for Wairarapa passengers.”

To enable the track renewal in the Remutaka Tunnel, the Wairarapa Line will be closed to passenger rail services for 46 days from 26 December to 10 February 2025. All passenger trains will be replaced by buses.

For more information about this work, visit: Rail Line Upgrades » Metlink

Wairarapa services will also be bus replaced this Labour Weekend (26-28 October) while KiwiRail continues work to install ducting for new signalling cables along the Wairarapa line. Work will take place this weekend on the Hillcrest Street level crossing upgrade, and KiwiRail expects to replace a further 350 metres of track inside Remutaka Tunnel.

More upgrades are planned over the next few years to prepare the Wairarapa Line for new trains being procured for the Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility (LNIRIM) programme.

From 2029, the new trains are expected to double the frequency of passenger services on the Wairarapa Line and improve journey times.

For more information about the upgrades, visit: Upgrades: Wairarapa Line » Metlink

For more information about LNIRIM, visit: Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility » Metlink

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