KiwiRail’s Lower South Island infrastructure team has installed a new level crossing on the Kingston Branch Line to support a planned subdivision on the Otago–Southland border.
The crossing will aid safe access for construction machinery and future residents on a line still active with the heritage Kingston Flyer, which operates most Sundays. Developers asked KiwiRail to deliver the first of two crossings in September, KiwiRail said in an Instagram post.
Though KiwiRail no longer owns the Kingston Branch, the corridor remains in use for Kingston Flyer heritage steam operations. KiwiRail described the assignment as a “unique job” because modern components had to integrate with historic rail while keeping the corridor available for the Kingston Flyer.
A five-person crew—four KiwiRail staff and one contractor—completed the work over two 10-hour days, the company said. The build used 50-kilogram, or roughly 110-pound, rail, hardwood runners and Epiflex panels tied into the line’s original 160-year-old 55-pound rail.
SouthRoads’ rail division supplied a hi-rail digger, enabling the installation to be a local partnership. KiwiRail said the project will help ensure safe access for hundreds of future residents.
The agency said this is the first of two crossings planned for the subdivision.
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