First train since the earthquake made its way into Kaikoura today

Friday, 9 June 2017

The work train carried sleepers, bottom-dumping ballast wagons and a tamper unit to be used on the rail line.

There were celebrations all round as the first train from Christchurch made its way into Kaikoura today.

The train, carrying freight of sleepers, bottom-dumping ballast wagons and a tamper unit, to be used for work on the rail line, passed over the Kahutara Bridge, 17km south of Kaikoura, just after 2pm.

Rail engineering manager Peter Dautermann said it was an important milestone, but there was definitely more work to go.

It was the first train to come into Kaikoura under its own steam since the earthquake.

Two weeks earlier the train which had been trapped in a tunnel after the November 7.8 magnitude earthquake arrived in Kaikoura on a 132-tyre transporter truck trailer. The earthquake had stranded the southbound train north of Kaikoura at Mangamaunu.

The first train into Kaikoura since the earthquake crossed over the Kahutara Bridge, 17km south of Kaikoura this afternoon.

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Travelling at an average of 10km an hour the nearly one kilometre-long train, with a locomotive at each end, had a slow trip in today.

There were challenges to get the train through the rail tunnels near the Parititahi road tunnel, which sustained a lot of damage after the earthquake, and the rail team used the locomotives at each end to push and pull the train through.

Rail engineering manager Peter Dautermann said they had to make a really long train because of safety reasons and the length and short distances between some of the tunnels.

He said although it was an important milestone there was definitely work to go.

'A lot of people had put in a lot of work into the project to get it this far.'

The railway line is now in working order to just north of Kaikoura and just north of the Clarence Bridge but there was still 30 to 40 kilometres to go to reconnect the whole railway, Dautermann said.

'That's the hardest bit.

'Thats the bit where we have the biggest slips and have the biggest tunnel challenges, and the most amount of earth to remove.'

We are working on getting it safe first for freight trains and then passenger trains will follow. NCTIR is all about reconnecting people and reconnecting communities, this is one point of reconnection but there is still a lot more to go, Dautermann said.

The two engine locomotives will travel back to Christchurch on Sunday.

TrackSAFE manager Megan Drayton says the arrival of the train in Kaikoura is a reminder to people that they must stay off railway tracks, and cross only at level crossings.

'People may have become complacent while there has been a lack of rail traffic on the line.

'We urge people to always slow down as they're approaching a level crossing and be prepared to stop.

'Obey the signs and signals and always look both ways for trains.

'They are deceptively quiet and can't stop in a hurry or swerve to avoid anything on the tracks,' Drayton said.