Planned Rail Closures
Building a Better Rail Network for the Wellington Region
Metlink are working closely with key partners to upgrade and future-proof our rail network. We can't make these upgrades while trains are running, so planned rail closures are put in place so we can get to work.
We schedule these works during long weekends and summer holidays, when fewer people are travelling to keep disruption to a minimum.
While you’re enjoying a break, we are hard at work strengthening the network and improving reliability for years to come.
We appreciate your patience during these planned closures and will keep you informed around how this may affect your travel.
Take a look below to check out improvements made during past closures.
Partnerships
Past Closures
What's happening?
KiwiRail will be conducting work on the rail lines to upgrade the network in time for the new trains in 2028/2029.
They need to make the most of long weekends when patronage numbers are low to get the work done. The work taking place over the Matariki Public Holiday weekend, from 6 am Friday 20 June to 4 am Monday 23 June, is varied, a mix of a continuation of all previous Block of Line (BOL) work, as well as general works on the line to keep the network maintained.
Train Services
Over the Matariki Public Holiday weekend, buses will replace trains across most lines, and some bus replacement services will run at reduced frequencies - please refer to the timetables below.
Kapiti Line, Johnsonville Line, and Hutt Valley Line
Buses will replace all train services.
Wairarapa Line
Partial shutdown - trains will only run between Masterton and Upper Hutt; buses will replace services between Upper Hutt and Wellington.
Melling Line
This line does not operate on weekends or public holidays, so there will be no train or bus replacement services.
Why will there be closures?
KiwiRail is using this opportunity to extend railway line closures and continue infrastructure upgrade work across all railway lines. Work includes track replacement, seawall repairs, as well as general works on the lines to keep the network maintained.
When are the rail line closures happening?
All rail lines will be closed from 6am Friday, 20 June to 4 am Monday 23 June. Buses will replace trains across all lines Friday 20 June to Monday 23 June, except for the Wairarapa Line which will run trains from Masterton to Upper Hutt during this time. Works including regular maintenance, as well as building on projects completed over the Easter and Anzac Day period.
Wairarapa Line
The Wairarapa Line rail service will be running over Matariki weekend, between Masterton and Upper Hutt. From Upper Hutt a bus replacement service will be in place. For weekly updates on the Wairarapa line please go to Wairarapa Line updates.
Where can I get on bus replacements at Upper Hutt?
Upper Hutt to Wellington bus replacing train services will arrive and depart from Upper Hutt station - Stop A.
Wairarapa bus replacements will arrive and depart from Upper Hutt station’s Bus Stop B.
Where can I get on bus replacements at Wellington Station?
All bus replacing train services will arrive and depart from Platform 10 at Wellington Railway Station.
Where do I tag on and off when using a bus replacement service?
All rail customers using the bus-replacing-trains service should tag on and off on the bus.
For Wairarapa customers:
When travelling from Masterton to Wellington, tag on at train station platforms, tag off at arrival station platform. If you are continuing into Wellington city from Upper Hutt, you will need to tag off at Wellington station.
Which fares apply during this time?
Standard fares apply on all non-public holiday days and off-peak fares apply on public holidays.
Which fares apply for SuperGold customers?
SuperGold customers can travel for free all day on long weekend public holidays.
On normal working days, SuperGold customers can travel for free between 9am and 3pm and after 6.30pm.
Will bus services be running during Matariki weekend?
Yes, buses will be running during this time. On Matariki Public Holiday weekend, weekend timetables apply.
Will midnight bus services be running during Matariki weekend?
After Midnights will run as usual over Matariki long weekend (ie Friday and Saturday nights).
Will the ferry run during Matariki weekend?
Ferry services will run a weekend timetable over the Matariki long weekend, including on Friday 20th June.
Please note, as of the 1st of May, the ferry has moved to a cashless payment system, with ticket payments via credit or debit cards only. Snapper is excluded from Metlink ferry services.
What's happening?
Upgrades will take place over the King’s Birthday long weekend, from 6.00am Saturday 31 May to 4.00am Tuesday 3 June. Works are varied, a mix of a continuation of all previous block of line work, as well as general works on the line to keep the network maintained.
Train Services
Over the King’s Birthday long weekend, no rail services will be running, so buses will replace trains, and some bus replacement services will run at reduced frequencies.
Why will there be closures?
KiwiRail is using this opportunity to continue infrastructure upgrade work across all railway lines. Work includes track replacement, signal upgrades, as well as general works on the lines to keep the network maintained.
When are the rail line closures happening?
All rail lines will be closed on Saturday, 31 May to 4am Tuesday 3 June.
Buses will replace trains across all lines from 31 May to 3 June. Works include Future Rail upgrades, regular maintenance, as well as building on projects worked on over the Easter and Anzac Day period.
Wairarapa Line
KiwiRail will carry out safety upgrade work at the Revans Street level crossing, Featherston. The road will be closed at the level crossing to traffic and pedestrians each day during the long weekend between 7.30am and 5pm.
KiwiRail is conducting work on the rail lines to upgrade the network in time for the new trains in 2028/2029. They need to make the most of long weekends when passenger numbers are low to get work done.
When will standard services resume?
All rail line services will resume on regular timetables on Tuesday, 3 June.
Where can I get bus replacements at Wellington Station?
All bus replacing train services will arrive and depart from Platform 10 at Wellington Railway Station.
Where do I tag on and off when using a bus replacement service?
All rail customers using the bus-replacing-trains service should tag on and off on the bus, except for the Wairarapa Line customers who need to tag on and off at the platform. For customers who board the bus at Greytown, the location of the validator in Greytown town centre, outside 73 Main Street (Studio 73).
Which fares apply during this time?
Standard fares apply on all non-public holiday days and off-peak fares apply on public holidays.
Which fares apply for SuperGold customers?
SuperGold customers can travel for free all day on long weekend public holidays.
On normal working days, SuperGold customers can travel for free between 9am and 3pm and after 6.30pm.
Where can I get more information?
To get more information, visit our Rail Updates page.
To learn more about the important ongoing rail network upgrades, visit Projects Timeline » Metlink the Metlink website.
Will bus services be running during the King's Birthday long weekend?
Yes, standard bus services will be running, however, reduced weekend timetables apply.
Will after midnight bus services be running during this time?
After midnight buses will run as usual over the King’s Birthday long weekend (Friday and Saturday nights).
Will the ferry run during King's Birthday long weekend?
Weekend timetables will run from Saturday 31 May to Monday 2 June.
Description
KiwiRail has major works planned across all rail lines. Buses will replace trains, and some services will run at reduced frequencies as KiwiRail makes improvements to the rail network over the Easter and ANZAC weekends.
As there are only three-week days between Easter Monday and ANZAC Day, as well as the school holidays, KiwiRail is using this opportunity to extend railway line closures and continued infrastructure upgrade work across all railway lines. Funded by the Government, these projects aim to create a more resilient and reliable network. Work includes track replacement and signal upgrades, which builds on recent achievements like completing the Wellington Station re-signalling project and replacing 8.8km of track inside the Remutaka Tunnel.
Benefits
The Easter and ANZAC block of line is allowing KiwiRail to work on important infrastructure upgrades across all railway lines. This work includes track replacement and signal upgrades.
Customer Impact
Over the Easter and ANZAC weekends, buses will replace trains, and some services will run at reduced frequencies on the weekdays (Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 April) between the long weekends, as KiwiRail make improvements to the rail network.
Description
There are some big improvements underway for our transport network. It’s going to take time to make the improvements needed to your rail network and there will always be ongoing upkeep – that’s part and parcel of running a rail network. Read on for more information on what’s planned for this Christmas and summer period.
Buses will replace trains on the Wairarapa line for 46 days between 26 December 2024 and 10 February 2025, as KiwiRail closes the rail line to carry out an ongoing programme of maintenance work, and extensive upgrades to get the line ready for faster trains(external link) and more frequent services.
Trains will also be replaced by buses on the Johnsonville line and parts of the Kāpiti, Hutt Valley and Melling lines for 18 days between 26 December 2024 and 13 January 2025 to commission the new signalling system at Wellington Railway Station, as well as undertake track renewal and maintenance works.
Signalling works at Wellington Railway Station.(external link)
What's happening on our rail network?
Why is it happening?
The rail network requires a lot of work to make sure it continues to be safe and it's up to standard ahead of the introduction of new hybrid trains by 2028/9. During the Wairarapa Line closure, KiwiRail is replacing more than 8km of old track inside the Remutaka Tunnel (first laid in 1955), renewing the signalling system at Wellington Railway Station and upgrading several level crossings between Masterton and Featherston.
Check out this video for a glimpse inside the tunnel and learn more about how the work is being done in this challenging environment: The Remutaka Tunnel as you’ve never seen it before.(external link)
In addition to track renewals and regular maintenance, there will also be work done to upgrade the signalling system from the old lever run system to a new computer based one, which will be managed out of Wallaceville. This upgrade is crucial to facilitating a more efficient network in the years to come and will allow for more services to our regions. To complete the change from the old to the new, the whole system needs to be switched off and then tested. We are using the closure of the line (when trains aren’t running) to complete this work.
Why is the work happening over the summer months?
As is the nature of running a rail network, to do upgrade and maintenance work safely and efficiently we need to close the railway lines. Passenger numbers are much lower during January and doing the work then will cause the least amount of disruptions.
Why are there still works leading up to the Christmas Block of Line?
This piece of work is part of the much larger Future Rail project, aimed at improving the rail network ahead of the new hybrid trains due to enter service in 2028-2029. You can find out about the wider scope of works by looking at our Projects Timeline.
Ongoing maintenance will be carried out across the rail network as usual before the blocks of line as well as afterwards. Sometimes this requires the closure of lines to ensure the work can be completed safely and efficiently.
More information on these works can be found at the following links:
Wairarapa Line | KiwiRail(external link)
Future Rail » Metlink (external link)
Why is the closure of the Wairarapa line longer?
The Remutaka Tunnel is narrow with a single track, meaning we can’t keep services running on an alternative line. In order to replace the tracks inside the Remutaka Tunnel we need to close the entire track. We are also upgrading the level crossings, passing loops at Woodside and doing signalling work between Featherston and Carterton.
We are doing the work in one go to reduce the long-term impact of the works by doing it in pieces.
Will this be the end of the work on rail?
Not quite! With the introduction of new trains on the horizon, we need to make sure the network is ready for them, but we’ve also got to ensure our network is maintained during the intervening years so we can keep the current fleet of trains running.
And as always, to keep our network safe and running smoothly we will have maintenance work scheduled. We will always work hard to minimise impacts to our customers during these times.
Stay updated by checking our website for updates leading up to and throughout the block of line.
How can I travel around the region in the meantime?
We will have buses replacing train services during this time. We will keep our customers updated via our website and the Metlink app.
What can I do if I have any questions?
You can call us on 0800 801 700 or pop a comment in the comment box below.