Work underway to address vibration

Close up view of rail grinder in action, with sparks flying off the rails. A worker follows at a safe distance.

Night owls may have noticed the light show that is KiwiRail’s track grinder working its way along the railway line in the wee small hours. It is on the job of reprofiling sections of track between the Remutaka Tunnel and Masterton to help reduce carriage vibration. Greater Wellington Regional Council is also reprofiling carriage wheels, which is part of the fix. 

The grinder is working at night when trains aren’t operating and is making its way north from Featherston at around 1 kilometre per night.

It is currently heading north from Dalefield. Once that’s done, the grinder heads south to complete the section between the Remutaka Tunnel and Featherston, with the whole Wairarapa line complete by the end of August.

Grinding is part of standard maintenance and is expected to help the track and carriage wheels fit better together. Greater Wellington Regional Council will be re-testing for carriage vibration at a range of train speeds. 

Learn more about the grinding work here.

Archive footage of our rail grinder in operation