MetroPort train from Tauranga crosses the 39m high Wainui Viaduct on the grade up to the Kaimai Tunnel (longest in NZ.) This is one of the busiest sections of railroad in NZ and was opened in 1978.
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.