KiwiRail Test Train up the North Auckland Line - September 2024 (4K)

On Thursday the 19th of September a test train ran from Westfield to Taipuha testing bridges along the line, the North Auckland line has been closed for 20 months after Cyclone Gabrielle damaged the line with many slips and washouts in February 2023.
The test train consisted of DLs 9613, 9285, DCs 4260,4058 and an EP van and spent the weekend testing 28 wooden bridges between Swanson and Kauri north of Whangarei, with this test train going well, we will hopefully see a return of freight trains on this line shortly .
Enjoy!!!

[@J.NRailPhotography]

Now we need the Napier - Gisborne railway line reinstated, anyways great video!

[@RollestonRails]

Not gonna happen unfortunately

[@jimpeers4852]

I fully agree. Get a lot of the trucks off the road.

[@Paul-ik8fm]

Train from Whangarei to Auckland is mostly because of cement from Portland from what I have seen.

[@peterscandlyn]

With Kiwirail announcement to release all of their Napier based loco drivers there won't even be a Napier-Wairoa service.

[@jimpeers4852]

@@Paul-ik8fm there is general freight and logs too

[@Dark_knight1980]

Brings a tear to the eye,🥲 finally the northern rail alive again bravo👏👏 KIWI RAIL TEAM 👏👏I'm going to keep an eye on the rest of your journey to Whangārei awesome AZ 👍

[@48sonic69]

thanks for the awesome video! makes me happy to see this! 😃🙌🏾

[@jasondunickjd]

A scenic train from Auckland to whangarei be nice, having done excursions in the past

[@dionhutchinson4183]

It would be awesome if they did that I'd take my kids

[@warrenjohnknight.9831]

Thank goodness for the northern line, well done Kiwirail, 😊😊😊.

[@wayneblackburn3700]

nice catch, thanks!

[@peterh1875]

Would really like to see them run up to Kauri again. It was always a nice little break to the day when they rumbled past.

[@mrivantchernegovski3869]

Now to lower the tracks in the Swanson tunnel ,electrify it out to Kumeu and Helensville FFS the place with the biggest urban sprawl

[@jimpeers4852]

Some stupid idiot decided to scrap the trains that did run to Helensville a few years ago. They could have used them between Swanson and Helensville.

[@irvinetam3454]

Sorry, the best that Simon Bridges can do is to make everything worse.

[@trevorgarner5803]

@@irvinetam3454 This is not a blame game, it is a question..

[@radicallyrethinkingrailwaysina]

I rode out to helensville in 2009. Took too long. Agree a line out there is important but would need a new route

[@jimpeers4852]

Yeah. But I do think a train between Swanson and Helensville is needed. There are a lot of new housing at Kumeu and Huapai. I guess Helensville and Parakai are growing too.

[@petertrott5107]

Can Woodhill Forestry use this line to get logs up north instead of trucks along SH 16? This line goes through Makarau, Taupaki, Kaipara Flats, Hoteo and more, through some bush, hills and streams, a beautiful area. I've worked around there and met some great people out there. What about getting Marsden Point up and running?

[@ABTrainsYT]

If only we saw passenger action on the line as well :/ Maybe one every tour hours in each direction between Auckland and Whangārei?

[@Riga.Mortus]

Wow I'd buy a passenger ticket for the experience to travel on the new Northland line.

[@rickhanover6267]

Hopefully the re-established line up to Whangarei goes well freight wise, it would be a good choice. Maybe passenger service soon, certainly to Helensville commuters. Ultimately rail all the way North would be smart.

[@jhn101]

cool video , earnt a new subscriber.

[@georgeorwell4059]

After all the problems with the Brenderwyns good tho have some redundancy

[@Phil-oj5nr]

With the pulp from Central North Island finishing, the PNGL needs to be extended back to Gisborne. It would make a very good infrastructure project, provide jobs over probably three or more years, and relieve SH2 of a lot of heavy trucks, for which the road is totally unsuitable. It would also feed traffic to Napier and beyond which it lost in 2012. The line Wairoa -Napier was rebuilt for log traffic, and this could resume quite quickly, as the worst damage is in the Esk Valley. It would be a major job, but would give good returns to the whole East Coast. As it is fresh produce is trucked from Gisborne to Christchurch, which could go all the way by rail if the Government makes the correct ferry choice and have rail-enabled ships.

[@RollestonRails]

Well government doesn't see rail good at the moment and if someone doesn't set up something I don't see it reopening

[@FarmvideoAnimations]

@@RollestonRails because the government is delusional

[@dougjane64]

This useless government wont do anything.

[@cbsos4u52]

Great to Rail heading North again. The speed here suggested it's low in order to stop quickly because of line defects or faults, or is there another reason? Will this line ever reach Kaiatia?

[@nzrfan608]

Nice DMs

[@aklrailfan2278]

lol

[@allo6569]

How come it makes so much noise? Looks like some wheel alignment is far overdue😂. Or maybe rail alignment???

[@terryshaw1578]

Good show. Now back to the future???

[@darrynmorgan4358]

Great video. Such a shame how many Kiwirail assets are covered in graffiti.

[@tomt9543]

Love the locomotives! Since I’m from the states and know nothing about Kiwi railroads, who built those loco’s, and how old are the two models shown?

[@kiwirailaction3894]

@tomt9543 The lead Locomotives were built by CRRC Dalian between the years of 2010 and 2022, they only operate in the North Island of New Zealand and there are 73 of them The back 2 are DC Class Locomotives built between 1961 and 1967 as the DA class by General Motors Canada and rebuilt between 1977 and 1981 by Clyde engineering Australia

[@tomt9543]

@@kiwirailaction3894 Where is CRRC located? I’m not familiar with that manufacturer.

[@kiwirailaction3894]

@@tomt9543 they are a China based vehicle manufacturer they make Trains, Buses and Trucks

[@xbgtfella]

Yep China. V20 RR locos if u do your research. Very distinct sound them things. Personally i think they sound awesome.

[@renevelthuis1567]

It's quicker to walk to whangarei

[@allo6569]

How come it makes so much noise? Looks like some wheel alignment is far overdue😂.

[@EndoftheRiver]

It is not wheel alignment required but rail alignment - have you looked at them - as crooked as a sheep's hind legs!

[@gregdowle8031]

What is the wagon at the back for?

[@trevorgarner5803]

For the local idiots to cover in Graffiti?

[@Tsass0]

What is an EP van and what does it do?

[@kiwirailaction3894]

An EP van is a Plough van normally used on Ballast trains when dropping ballast, but in this situation was being used to carry people to inspect bridges

[@dogmannz]

@@kiwirailaction3894 Because among the 6 cabs on the locomotives there weren't enough seats for everyone

[@lynettewalters1508]

They should put train up to Kaitaia for goodness sake They forget we even exist

[@trevorgarner5803]

It does seem a bit silly to have a rail system in place not being used efficiently these days, get the trucks off the roads one loco could eliminate at least ten trucks off the highway long distance. Now that should make the greens a little happier.

[@BackCountryRivers]

Dismayed to view the graffiti on equipment and infrastructure; uncontrolled vandalism creating a seedy impression.

[@adelaidewilson7917]

look more like a gypsy train awson neways northland have rail

[@stinchjack]

I felt sure this line was a gonner after the 2023 election, but I'm happy to be wrong

[@cadifan]

Why on earth do they need to use four locomotives? Surely one and a bunch of wagons would have done. Seems a big waste to me.

[@kiwirailaction3894]

3 were left in Whangarei, the DCs for the start of the Kauri Shunt and the DL for Driver training I believe

[@Dark_knight1980]

@@kiwirailaction3894 awesome news training 👍

[@andyox-gr9gy]

A complete waste of money kiwi rail are always have been and always will be hopeless