- Planned closure of Takitimu Mine removes most freight need, prompting rail line mothballing decision
- KiwiRail says repairing storm damage then upgrading bridges would cost many millions over five years
- First nine kilometres stay open to serve Lorneville meat works, coal switches fully to trucks
Bathurst Coal Ltd’s decision to wind up Takitimu Mine is set to quieten one of Southland’s longest branch lines. The company expects its remaining coal to run out during the 2026 financial year, and it will begin full rehabilitation work soon after. With coal trains ending by mid-to-late 2026, KiwiRail has confirmed that about 70 kilometres of the 79 kilometre Invercargill–Ohai route will be put into storage.
KiwiRail Chief Infrastructure Officer Siva Sivapakkiam says the move is unavoidable because there will be no freight to carry once the mine closes. He notes that much of the line has already been unusable since a severe storm damaged track, culverts and bridges in September 2023, forcing coal onto trucks for the first leg of its journey north.
“The Ohai Line is in a poor state and most of it is already closed to trains. Significant damage to track and other infrastructure occurred in an extreme weather event in September 2023. Since then, coal from Takitimu Mine near the end of the line has been transported by road to Invercargill, where it is put on trains and travels 450km north to near Timaru.”
Re-opening the damaged sections would cost more than NZ$1 million. KiwiRail also estimates that a further tens of millions would be required within five years to replace ageing wooden bridges and carry out other overdue upgrades.
“The line requires more than $1 million of repair work to reopen it but it will then need tens of millions of dollars more spent on upgrades - including replacing a number of ageing wooden bridges with modern structures - over the next five years.”
“The national rail network is publicly funded and given the mine is closing this spending cannot be justified.”
Only the first nine kilometres between Invercargill and Lorneville will keep running. That short stretch serves Alliance Group’s meat works and forms part of the wider freight corridor north. KiwiRail stresses that the change will not cost any jobs. It will, however, remove level-crossing signs north of Lorneville to show motorists that trains are no longer operating beyond that point.
“KiwiRail always supports the use of rail where it makes sense. The first 9km of the Ohai Line, which supports the Alliance Groups meat works at Lorneville is not impacted and remains fully operational, supporting this important trading corridor.”
The stored track will still receive occasional inspections and minor upkeep so that, should new freight emerge, trains could return without a full rebuild. Until then, coal will stay on the road and Southland will lose another of its once-busy rural railways.