The rail span that allows loading of railway cars onto the Aratere is now operational resulting in the full utilisation of KiwiRail’s Interislander ferries for the first time since the Kaikoura earthquake.
Both the Wellington and the Picton passenger terminals are also fully operational.
The first Aratere sailing carrying rail cars left Wellington yesterday afternoon.
“Having our rail capacity restored on the Aratere for the first time since last month’s quake increases capacity for all our freight customers and passenger vehicles on the two other ferries just in time for the real peak December period,” says Kiwirail chief executive Peter Reidy.
“It also means quicker transits to and from the expanded Spring Creek freight hub near Blenheim,” he says.
“Getting the rail link operating was the missing piece we needed to get the ferries back to normal,” says Reidy.
The ferries will be making up to six return crossings per day (increasing to seven in the week before Christmas) and 38 return crossings per week.
