February 2024
Hawke’s Bay Cyclone
Gabrielle Rail Recovery
Kia ora
at numerous priority sites between
issues, as they relate to our rail
Napier and Wairoa. These are stop-
corridor, in the Wairoa township
With the rail line from Palmerston
gap works so that the rail corridor
area and north of there.
North to Napier open and freight
doesn’t deteriorate further and
trains running since September, we
There is a process to go through
include a range of activities - from
have been focussed on Make Safe
to determine if funding will be
culvert clearing, slope trimming,
work on the 115km line between
granted to repair and reopen the
debris removal, cutting away
Napier and Wairoa.
line between Napier and Wairoa,
suspended track and hydroseeding
which includes approval from the
As you know, the rail corridor to
(which helps stabilise embankments Government. In recent months we
Wairoa was hit hard in Cyclone
and slopes).
have been undertaking technical
Gabrielle. There are more
We have recently started Make
investigations on the line and are
than a dozen extreme or major
Safe work clearing about 7km of
working on initial advice, which we
embankment washouts below the
damaged rail in Eskdale, to reduce
expect to give to the Government
tracks from the Esk Valley to just
the risk of further damage to our
for its consideration in the coming
north of Tutira, often in diffi cult
asset and minimise the potential
months.
terrain; damage to bridges; and
impact on rail corridor neighbours.
sections of track completely
We will also be commencing works
Daniel Headifen
washed away around Eskdale.
to underpin Bridge 223A between
The extensive damage to the
KiwiRail Programme Director
Waipunga and Waikoau, in the Esk
line means it is currently non-
River valley, to mitigate further risk
operational.
of it collapsing.
Make Safe works are either
We continue to work with Wairoa
underway or have been completed
District Council around fl ooding
If you have any questions
please email us at: [email address]
Make Safe work Napier - Wairoa
Here are before and after pictures of the clean up and
exposed material from further weather damage.
hydro-seeding at Bridge 222 in the Esk River valley,
Damaged bridge piers and spans have been removed
north of Eskdale. Hydro-seeding helps to secure
as they were unstable and damaged track was cut away.
South of Waikou a large body of water built up
Work ranged from removing hanging track,
behind the rail embankment during the cyclone,
trimming back unstable washed out embankments,
then broke through it shortly afterwards before we
reopening drainage paths to manage water fl ows
could get any machinery to the site. The pictures
and creating access tracks for plant to get through
below show the scale of the original water build up
the site.
and the mitigation work that followed.
If you have any questions please email us at: [email address]
Here are before and after pictures of work at
another area near Waikoau, where hanging and
lengths of other damaged track was removed,
unstable embankments trimmed, and drainage
paths to manage water flows cleared. Culverts
were installed to allow drainage paths through
access tracks.
Before and after pictures of a major culvert and embankment washout north of Tutira. This massive,
20-metre-deep washout left around 60 metres of unsupported, hanging track. Works have since been
undertaken to remove the track and stabilise the slopes at either end to prevent further deterioration.
If you have any questions please email us at: [email address]
