Scheduled maintenance on all Wellington rail lines this Labour weekend with only limited train services running

Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) and KiwiRail are taking the opportunity of a three-day Labour weekend to carry out scheduled essential maintenance work to replace overhead poles at Wellington Junction which affects the Johnsonville, Kāpiti, Hutt, and Wairarapa rail lines.

Extra buses will replace some train services over the weekend, with all train services restored to normal on Tuesday morning. For passengers on the Kapiti Line a new Train Replacement Timetable is being trialled to better reflect the actual journey times of buses when replacing trains. The Train Replacement Schedule can be viewed on the Metlink website. All passengers are encouraged to check travel details on the Metlink website before embarking on their journey.

Wayne Hastie, General Manager GWRC, says track maintenance is an essential activity on every railway network around the world, and often results in bus replacement. He says the regional council carries overall responsibility for the delivery of all public transport within the region.

"We're working closely with our partners Transdev, who operate the Metlink rail service, and KiwiRail, who own the tracks and infrastructure, to minimise disruption and inconvenience to our valued customers while KiwiRail carry out scheduled maintenance on the Johnsonville, Kapiti, Hutt, and Wairarapa Lines."

Wayne Hastie says for practical and safety reasons this type of maintenance work cannot be carried out on the lines while they're in operation, so carrying out work either overnight or over weekends when less passengers travel is the preferred option.

"It is our goal to provide a world-class public transport system for the Wellington region. We realise that these outages cause inconvenience to our customers; however, the maintenance of our tracks and poles is critical to providing reliable, punctual and safe rail services."

For more information on the scheduled maintenance please ring our Metlink Contact Centre on 0800 801 700 or visit the Metlink.org.nz website for information updates.

Bus replacements

The bus replacing train timetable will differ depending on which part of the line the bus is replacing so check the specific timetable for departures from your station.

- During busy times there may be express and all stop bus services. Check the timetable to make sure you catch the right bus.

- Each bus replacing train timetable will be available at metlink.org.nz and on posters at stations.

Kāpiti Line

Trains will run to the regular timetable between Waikanae and Porirua. Bus replacements will run between Porirua and Wellington. A new Train Replacement Timetable will run, with some express and all stop buses, so check the timetable for departures from your station.

While the track is closed we're taking the opportunity to replace sleepers on the Takapu Road railway bridge, as well as essential track maintenance near Takapu Road.

Johnsonville Line

All services are bus replaced this long weekend between Wellington and Johnsonville.

While the track is closed we're taking the opportunity to work on the signalling upgrade and rail tensioning between Wellington and Crofton Downs. Sleepers will be replaced between Ngaio and Box Hill, in addition to the clearing of vegetation at various sites along the line.

Wairarapa Line

On Saturday and Sunday, trains are running between Masterton and Upper Hutt as per the timetable, with bus replacement services between Upper Hutt and Wellington.

On Monday, trains are operating from Masterton to Petone, with buses replacing the line between Petone and Wellington.

While the track is closed we’'re taking the opportunity to carry out essential track maintenance between Ngauranga and Trentham as well as re-railing work between Taita and Pomare. A pedestrian overbridge will be installed at Manor Park along with the continued clearing of vegetation at various sites along the line.

Hutt Valley Line

All services are bus replaced on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, there will be a bus replacement between Wellington and Petone with trains running between Petone and Upper Hutt as per the timetable.

While the track is closed we're taking the opportunity to carry out essential track maintenance between Ngauranga and Trentham as well as re-railing work between Taita and Pomare. A pedestrian overbridge will be installed at Manor Park along with the continued clearing of vegetation at various sites along the line.