Temporary closure Waingawa River bridge

KiwiRail has temporarily closed the railway bridge over Waingawa River near Masterton on the Wairarapa Line as a safety precaution while inspections are carried out and any necessary remedial work completed. 

“In our most recent inspection we have identified scouring on two of the bridge piers.  The advice from our engineers is that a major storm event could damage the bridge further,” says KiwiRail Chief Metro Officer Bevan Assink.

Scouring is erosion around a bridge’s foundation caused by fast moving water. 

“The closure affects passenger services between Carterton and Masterton, and we are working with Greater Wellington to minimise the impact on commuters.

“It may also mean minor disruption for log freight services, and we will work with our freight customers to lessen any impact.”

Paul Tawharu, Metlink’s Senior Manager Operations, says Metlink is working closely with KiwiRail to minimise disruption for passengers.

“We’ll have buses replacing trains between Carterton and Masterton while the bridge is closed. We appreciate this will be disruptive for some passengers, and thank people for their patience while the necessary safety work is carried out.”

Bevan Assink says “we apologise for the disruption and we are working to get the line open again as quickly as is safely possible.

Our Initial assessment is that the closure is likely to remain in place for at least two days, but this is subject to weather.” 

Passengers are advised to check the Metlink websiteopen_in_new for all service-related updates.