KiwiRail, the New Zealand national railway company, has announced that is expecting to re-open the Midland line between Christchurch and Greymouth ahead of schedule on March 20. Initial estimates were that the repairs would take at least six weeks, and KiwiRail had been expecting to re-open the line in early April.
“This line is important to KiwiRail. It is used by the world-renowned TranzAlpine service, and also for shipping coal and dairy products from the West Coast. The services we provide are significant to the West Coast,” Group General Manager Network Service Todd Moyle said.
The line will initially open for freight with the TranzAlpine service expected to resume shortly after.
The line was badly damaged when a fire swept through 300 ha between Cass and Springfield over Waitangi weekend, damaging several bridges along the route, including one where 12 wooden piles needed to be replaced.
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