KiwiRail, NZ Transport Agency and North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) have been nominated for an international prize for work following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake.
The organisations have been named as one of 10 finalists from around the world for the Institution of Civil Engineers People’s Choice Award 2018 as a result of their outstanding work to repair and reopen State Highway One and the Main North Line.
The earthquake caused 5000 landslides and damaged 3300 sections of road and rail with a total estimated repair cost of $1.2 billion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxA7eyahHyc
The winner of the award will be determined by public vote which closes on September 26.
KiwiRail acting chief executive Todd Moyle says being considered one of the top 10 projects in the world, and the only Southern Hemisphere finalist, is a “wonderful recognition of the skills and dedication of everyone involved in this project”.
“This nomination demonstrates New Zealand’s strengths in engineering and emergency recovery. Just as important, however, is the well- deserved recognition of the hard work and dedication of thousands of workers whose efforts meant cut off communities were reconnected, and freight flows restored quickly after that devastating earthquake.
“As the winner is being determined by popular vote, we are hoping Kiwis will show their appreciation for the tremendous efforts of all involved and vote for the project.
“We’ve already seen an enormous amount of support rolling in from across the freight industry and engineering professionals around the country as the word spreads about our nomination.
“However, we are a small country compared to other finalists, so the more support we can get from the public the better our chances,” Moyle says.
*Votes can be cast by visiting and close on September 26.
