One of the slips along the Kaikoura highway at Jacob’s Ladder after clearing and terracing.
Group general manager Todd Moyle said all four scheduled services ran last night after the work was completed by KiwiRail and North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery teams.
“Much of the work focused on clearing the debris flows triggered by the exceptional levels of rain. We have been able to largely restore the track to the same condition it was prior to the storm. ”
Loss of earnings and repair work on the line have been one of the causes of KiwiRail’s recent $193 million loss, with a revenue shortfall of about $25m attributed to the main north line.
Most of the freight carried on the main north line is general merchandise and commodities including malt and grain. Quantities were commercially sensitive, a spokesman said.
KiwiRail is restricted to night services to allow road crews to continue working safely during the day.
The highway is also back in action during daylight hours from 7.30am to 7.30pm with the Hundalees the most affected area, reduced to one-lane traffic.
Rainfall levels in the Kaikoura area during the Gita storm were the highest recorded since the November 2016 earthquake with one site showing 300 millimetres in 15 hours – more than three times the usual monthly average.
“Our teams also took advantage of the line being closed to bring forward other works. One of the temporary bridges put in to enable the early re-opening in September has been replaced with a new permanent structure,” Moyle said.
“Our teams will continue to focus on works that improve the reliability of the line and reduce transit times, so we can better support our customers and resume pre-earthquake levels of operations as soon as possible.”
About 300,000 cubic metres of material had been spread across 60 sites from Parnassus to Clarence, closing road and rail.
– Stuff