Here we see empty coal train 834 departing the port of Lyttelton, this scene changed forever when an earthquake struck the city of Christchurch in September 2010, causing a landslide bringing down most of the hill in the background and causing major damage to the port, we were due to fly into Christchurch on the morning the earthquake struck, all flights into Christchurch were cancelled, as a result of this we ended up flying into Auckland on the Nth Island the next day.
Trains on 3' 6" (1.067m) track from Whangarei to Bluff with virtually heritage rebuilt EMD and GE locomotives still the mainstay power. The network was privatized in 1990's and operated by Toll until 2008 when state owned KiwiRail was established.
