Subscribe to RSSTrains Get Through With Water
KiwiRail has transported 14 20,000 litre milk tanks of water from Temuka to Ashburton by rail to help Christchurch deal with its post-quake water issues.
The water was loaded into Fonterra milk tanks at Temuka last night.
The water train was parked in Ashburton overnight as the rail line from Ashburton to Christchurch was closed. This line is now open at restricted speed. It would arrive in Christ
Civil defence warned today that there are still ongoing issues with sewerage pipe failures and water supply problems in the Christchurch area.
The public are advised to boil water prior to use (drinking, brushing teeth etc) and to avoid recreational use of water. Rivers are affected with sewage. Public health staff will be assisting the Council with water testing.
The latest status of the rail lines:
- The Picton-Rangiora line is open
- The Belfast-Rangiora line is closed due to extensive damage
- The Christchurch-Belfast line has medium damage. The track has been inspected and is anticipated to open in 36 hours
- Bridge 18 between Kaiapoi and Belfast has suffered extensive damage. Structural engineers are making a further assessment today
- The line between Ashburton and Lyttleton is now open at restricted speed
- The Lyttelton-Middleton line is closed and is anticipated to open in 24 hours (structures are being assessed)
- Track repairs between Rolleston and Darfield on the Midland line was expected to be completed today. A decision on when the line would reopen would be made later.
- The Rolleston-Cass line is closed and has sustained medium damage and requires further inspection before an estimate opening time can be given.
- Because of the aftershocks, a mainline speed restriction ofr 40 km an hour had been imposed in the earthquake zone and trains were travelling at 25 km an hour over bridges.
- There has been no official word on the state of Christchurch’s tram lines.
- kiwiRail says because there is work to do repairing damage to track and one bridge between Belfast and Rangiora, they will be road bridging freight to Christchurch from Rangiora while this work is being complete
- Interislander is putting on extra ferry sailings across Cook Strait tonight to cope with huge demand to bring essential goods into Christchurch.
State Highway 77 is closed between Glentunnel to Glenroy due to slips. However, a local road bypass is available via Hororata. State Highway 74 is closed between Breezes Road and Metro Place. Alternative routes are available but work is commencing to clear the road by Monday. There are no local roads that are completely impassable. It may be a few days before a clear picture is available for all roads.
Fuel supply terminals at Lyttelton have been visually inspected and there does not appear to have been any damage. Lyttelton is without water and lacks a firefighting capability that will prevent fuel shipments at present. BP is currently assessing the other ports on the South Island and has not identified any damage at this point. There are sufficient fuel supplies available.
With the transmission lines underground, the full extent of damage to gas infrastructure is not known but will become clearer once electricity is restored.
Orion report that power will be restored to 90 per cent in urban Christchurch and they aim to achieve 95 per cent by late 5 September. Some buildings are without power due to building damage and safety issues. Mainpower reported that all of the network is available except for Kaiapoi that is down to 50 per cent.
Ongoing loss of power will be most significant in rural areas. Restoration of power to some rural areas will take longer than urban areas due to the distance involved in inspection of lines and are being complicated by high winds. Generators are a key requirement to support the dairying industry.
Very strong northwest winds are expected to 6am, with strongest winds likely in Christchurch between 9pm Sunday and 3am Monday. Mean wind speeds of 65km/h are forecast, with gusts 130km/h.
Rain is expected on Monday evening throughout Canterbury and is expected to last several days but is not expected to be large. Between 9am Sunday and 9pm Monday 150mm of rainfall in the Southern Alps is expected to spill over into the headwaters of Canterbury lakes and rivers.
On Sunday and Monday night-time temperatures are not expected to be particularly low, with little or no risk of frosts. However, the onset of southeasterly rain overnight Monday will make conditions cold because of wind chill and overcast skies.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.