KiwiRail is working to make additional cargo capacity available to take pressure off the Blenheim and Nelson route while parts of State Highway 6 are closed for seven weeks for emergency repairs.
KiwiRail is moving cargo on rail to and from its Blenheim container terminal to alternate locations such as Lyttelton or Centreport as a result.
If follows Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency closing SH6 between Hira and Ronga Rd near Rai Valley from November 1 to December 18 to make emergency repairs from weather related damage.
KiwiRail sales and commercial executive general manager Alan Piper says his team’s focus is on containers in Marlborough that may initially have been planned to be shipped via Port Nelson.
“We looked at what we could do to help after Waka Kotahi announced it needed to close State Highway 6 for seven weeks, meaning heavy road freight has to detour along State Highway 63 via St Arnaud.
“This will add significantly to the normal journey times, resulting in increased roading costs, greater fuel consumption and extra emissions and also add to traffic congestion on this less-often used sector of highway network.
“Transferring freight off the road and onto rail benefits everyone, as rail transport is 70% more carbon-efficient than heavy road freight and it reduces the need for heavy trucks to congest our lesser highways,” Piper says.
