Johnsonville line slip cleared

TOM HUNT

Johnsonville train services will resume this afternoon after the landslip blocking the track for two days was cleared.

Tranzmetro said the 4.04pm service from Johnsonville and the 4.19pm service from Wellington would be running.

KiwiRail had hoped to have the Johnsonville line open this morning, but at 7.33am it sent out an alert saying it would be closed until further notice.

The slip occurred yesterday morning near Wadestown.

KiwiRail has spent the Christmas break slip-proofing three of the Wellington network's 10 most slip-prone spots.

The Johnsonville slip was number 26 on its list.

In September, The Dominion Post reported that KiwiRail spent nearly $10 million in the previous three years trying to prevent slips on the network.

It had budgeted $890,000 this financial year as part of a continuing programme to protect the system from landslides, KiwiRail infrastructure and engineering central regional manager Walter Rushbrook said.

"We are starting at the highest risk and working back down."

That meant work had been started on two parts of the Johnsonville line, which were in the top 10, in the Christmas break. Work had also been done on one area of the Kapiti line, alongside Taupo Swamp near Plimmerton – the site where two trains, driven by a father and son, collided in 2010, after one was derailed by a slip.One person suffered minor injuries. One of the drivers, Bill Isted, said he feared for his life.

A KiwiRail report found the accident would have been hard to prevent, but that the rail provider should improve slip management and weather warnings.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Transport Agency said yesterday it was nearing completion of the second bench – a form of excavation to prevent further slips – at the Manawatu Gorge slip site.

Heavy rain last August caused a landslide that closed the road through the gorge. It could cost up to $10m to fix.

NZTA acting regional state highways manager John Jones said crews were removing up to 1500 cubic metres of rocks, soil and debris daily.

"Once the second bench is done, we'll start to form the third bench.

"This is the point of no return, meaning that the machinery will have to stay on the slip until all the benches are formed and they can safely track down to the road."

SLIP-PRONE SITES:

The top 10 sites in the Wellington Metro region as of yesterday were:

Kapiti line: 26.1km from Wellington – between Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay. Earthworks completed during the Christmas period.
Johnsonville line: 2.9km from Wellington – along Hutt Rd. Earthworks and rock-bolting done during Christmas.
Wairarapa line: 49.4km from Wellington – near the Rimutaka tunnel.
Johnsonville line: 3.5km from Wellington – between Wadestown and Crofton Downs station. Work under way.
Kapiti line: 9.9km from Wellington – near Johnsonville.
Johnsonville line: 3.7km from Wellington – between Wadestown and Crofton Downs station.
Kapiti line: 11.1km from Wellington – by Johnsonville.
Kapiti line: 3.9km from Wellington – between Kaiwharawhara and Ngauranga.
Kapiti line: 25.8km from Wellington – between Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay.
Johnsonville line: 4.4km from Wellington – before Crofton Downs station.