Trains set to return to Napier for first trip since cyclone

They’re coming back.

Napier will welcome back trains from September 15 when the Hastings to Napier line is officially re-opened.

It has been almost seven months since Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc on the rail network
across Hawke’s Bay, including destroying a large rail bridge between Hastings and Napier and buckling tracks.

Napier Port is rapt to see the return of rail to the busy port, and says when that 20-kilometre line is fully operational, it will have “a positive effect on volumes”.

Kiwi Rail has asked people to be vigilant from now, as test runs are being completed in the lead-up to the re-opening.

It confirmed an official re-opening event will be held on September 15 at the rebuilt Waitangi Rail Bridge at Awatoto.

Work in recent months has been focused on rebuilding that bridge, which was destroyed in the cyclone.

“We are very appreciative of the hard mahi that our staff and contractors have all done to repair the railway line,” Kiwi Rail Hawke’s Bay recovery programme director Daniel Headifen said.

“We are also grateful for the public support that we have received, and we look forward to reconnecting the railway line to Napier/Ahuriri.”

The rail network in Hawke’s Bay features a railway line which starts at Woodville (near Palmerston North) – where it connects with other tracks – and heads north all the way to Wairoa.

That train line is currently open to Hastings and will be operable to Napier and Napier Port from September 15, but the remainder of the line north to Wairoa still requires plenty of work. It is unclear when that section could reopen.

There were about 150 damaged sites along that section from Napier to Wairoa following the cyclone, of which dozens were deemed to have sustained serious damage.

Napier Port CEO Todd Dawson said an interim roading service to the port had been established while the Hastings to Napier train line was down, in partnership with KiwiRail, Team Global Express and Wattie’s.

“Since early April, when the line through to Hastings was reinstated, we worked together to set up a road bridging operation, allowing import and export cargoes to be trucked to and from Napier Port after being de-vanned from the rail wagons stopping in Hastings.”

He said it had functioned well, but they were happy to see the return of rail to the port.

“Once it is fully operational, we expect pulp, meat and log cargoes from the central North Island to revert back to rail mode, with a positive effect on volumes.”

What is the railway line used for?

There are usually seven trains which run a return trip from Palmerston North to Napier each week, and another five trains which run a return trip between Hastings and Napier each week.

Prior to the cyclone hitting, that totalled roughly 350 containers each week carrying pulp and paper, wine, Wattie’s products and other import and export goods.

For the Napier-to-Wairoa line, one train carrying logs generally uses that line each day (when open).

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.