Air Quality Monitoring To Be Undertaken On Wairarapa Service

Further air quality monitoring is being carried out on Wairarapa rail services at the recommendation of independent air quality experts, after reports of visible dust in carriages. KiwiRail plans to get this stage of testing started next week and reassures passengers and staff it is safe for rail services to continue running through Remutaka Tunnel.

An initial round of monitoring received by KiwiRail last week found very low levels of respirable dust including silica, which was likely disturbed by construction activity in the Remutaka Tunnel earlier this year.

KiwiRail Chief Planning and Asset Development Officer David Gordon says that on evidence so far, KiwiRail and Transdev do not anticipate that the additional testing will reveal an exposure risk, but they agree with the recommendation for further testing.

“Train managers working on the Wairarapa Line reported noticing dust inside the train, especially in Remutaka Tunnel,” Mr Gordon says.

“Silica is a material that has always been present in ‘ballast’ (the stony bed under railway tracks), and was disturbed when we replaced kilometres of ballast during our tunnel upgrade last summer.

“KiwiRail proactively commissioned the independent report. We are following the guidance of air quality experts by doing further monitoring to ensure we have a comprehensive range of data and are clear on next steps. KiwiRail will also arrange an independent review of its dust management procedures.”

The report recommended personal monitoring, where onboard staff temporarily wear equipment that measures the air quality in their breathing zone and collects data over a range of days, times and areas of the train.

Metlink group manager Samantha Gain acknowledges KiwiRail’s response to onboard staff concerns and says Metlink is increasing the cleaning schedule of all Wairarapa trains and checking that all seals are working correctly.

“Passengers may notice personal monitoring equipment being worn by staff over the coming weeks, and we want our passengers to know that we have confidence in the safety of our services,” Ms Gain says.

KiwiRail and Metlink rail operator Transdev take health and safety seriously, and with the support of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, is taking this step to monitor air quality in the carriages and trains, as well as looking at other medium to long term actions that might reduce the presence of dust.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union spokesperson Karen Fletcher says the source of the dust needs to be addressed to prevent it from getting into the train carriages and cab.

“Servicing, maintenance, cleaning staff and workers who enter the tunnel to fix faults will all need to wear respiratory protection until the source of the dust is contained.”

KiwiRail, Transdev and Metlink will continue to work together in consultation with the RMTU, to ensure the continued safety of staff and passengers and will share the results of the testing.

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