Storm damage

On 20-21 June 2013 a severe storm hit Wellington, causing significant damage and disruption to the region’s transport network. The immediate impacts of the storm included ferry cancellations, road closures (due to debris and storm surge), airport and rail line closures and disruption to bus services.

The rail system was particularly affected by a storm surge, which caused severe erosion of the rail line along the coast between Ngauranga and Petone. The Hutt Valley rail line was shut for six days while repairs were undertaken, disrupting all passenger rail services between the Hutt Valley and Wellington.

The loss of rail services placed increased pressure on the road network as commuters altered their travel behaviour to respond to the network disruption. The disruption caused significant delays especially on State Highway 2, where more than 30% of commuters experienced delays of more than an hour, and morning peak hour conditions lasted two hours longer than usual. The cost of the disruption to the region has been estimated at $23 million, with $16.7m in lost productivity and $6.3m in direct costs incurred in response to the damage and restoring services.

Addressing the resilience risks for this section of corridor will be considered as part of the wider Wellington Region Resilience Programme Business Case. 

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