KiwiRail carried out three weeks of intensive maintenance and upgrade work on the rail lines in Wellington over the summer break, with trains out of action from December 26 to January 12.
The operator replaced track, repaired bridges, strengthened tunnels and upgraded several level crossings across the region during line closures.
The work was needed to prepare the Wellington Metro for increased services and the new trains destined for Wairarapa and Manawatū from 2029, as well as improving the long-term resilience and reliability of the network.
KiwiRail said it was “all hands to the pump” to finish up ahead of trains coming back into service on Monday.
Projects included Ava Bridge in Lower Hutt, which now has new rails and sleepers in place and will soon be ready for Hutt City Council to begin work on the walkway.
The Otaihanga level crossing in Kāpiti was also upgraded to provide a smoother surface for motorists, and earthworks commenced at Naenae and Trentham ahead of the arrival of two new substations later this year.
KiwiRail also carried out essential maintenance, including replacing track and ballast across large sections of the network.
Meanwhile work continues on the Wairarapa Line level crossing upgrade, with Bell Street in South Wairarapa and Norfolk Road at Waingawa the current focus.
General Manager of Wellington Metro, Andy Lyon, thanked commuters and local residents for their patience, with trains replaced with buses during the line closures.
“We appreciate it’s inconvenient having to catch a bus instead of a train, and while everyone does their best, there is no avoiding some degree of noise and disruption for people living close to where the work is happening,” he said.
Metlink acknowledged there were issues with commuter bus replacement services as people returned to work on Monday, with Metlink Acting General Manager Paul Tawharu saying bus replacement services are a “constant area for improvement”.
“Where there’s a train, there has to be multiple bus replacements to keep the network moving during critical rail upgrades,” he said.
“This summer, we trialled new real-time tracking for bus replacements, and quickly learned where issues with coordinating timings and connections were happening.
“As soon as we detect issues we quickly work with our rail operator Transdev to understand what went wrong and what needs to be done to fix it – we thank our passengers for their patience and understanding.”
