Article written by Matthew Stuart – Service Leader – Rail Engineering

The Lower North Island Integrated Mobility Project (LNIRIM) is a major investment programme aimed at improving freight and passenger rail performance, safety, and operational resilience across the lower North Island. The Yards Package forms a critical component of the programme, supporting the introduction of the new fleet of Tuhono Battery Electrical Multiple Units (BEMUs) to allow for increased stabling capacity, charging, maintenance, and futureproofing of rail yard infrastructure.

Vitruvius and Beca are engaged to support the planning, design development, and technical assurance of the Masterton and Palmerston Noth rail yards within the LNIRIM programme. Working with several major stakeholders, including, KiwiRail, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Masterton District Council, Palmerston North District Council, Alstom and Transdev to name a few.

The purpose of our engagement is to provide specialist rail and civil engineering design expertise and provide solutions to complex upgrades of existing rail yards requiring coordinated multidiscipline design. The project involves interfaces with third party landowners, a new maintenance depot D&C Contractor, council assets, GWRC leased land and integration with an existing freight yard and signalling upgrades.

Through the optioneering and detailed design stages, we are tasked with ensuring solutions are:

• Operationally robust
• Compliant with KiwiRail standards
• Practical to construct and stage
• Aligned with programme budget and delivery constraints.

Our exceptional team are delivering the track, civil and geotechnical design, integrated with signal designs and working with our stakeholders to ensure seamless integration with all design, delivery, maintenance and operational requirements. We are excited to work with Beca to showcase excellence in the digital delivery space and ensure this complex multidiscipline design is integrated into one federated model accessible to all stakeholders.

Our team of specialists bring a depth of experience working in live rail yards and other complex operational environments, combined with a strong, practical understanding of KiwiRail standards and assurance processes. Our integrated approach, bringing together civil, track, and constructability considerations, enables us to develop solutions that are not only technically robust, but practical to deliver. This, together with our pragmatic, solutions focused mindset, meant we are well placed to support the yards package and add value throughout the design and delivery process.

The LNIRIM yards package reflects Vitruvius’ role as a trusted rail partner, adding value through integrated design, early risk management, and solutions that support network performance, safety, and long term resilience of the Wellington Metro.

Article written by: Nigel Holman – Service Leader Road Engineering

Vitruvius is proud to be supporting the delivery of the Putauaki Kawerau Container Terminal (PKCT). This is a landmark infrastructure project that will establish a new rail freight hub for the Eastern Bay of Plenty and unlock long‑term economic benefits for the region.

We are currently assisting PKCT by overseeing construction supervision and providing surveying set-out services for a complex and tightly scheduled build. Our role spans end‑to‑end engineering and planning services, including rail design, stormwater assessment, traffic impact assessment, civil and roading design, integrated stormwater management, and working closely with Engeo to undertake the specialist geotechnical investigations and design.

Supported by the Provincial Growth Fund, this initiative represents over five years of planning and serves as a pivotal driver for enhancing regional supply chains and supporting local industry within the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Once operational, PKCT is expected to remove up to approximately 18,000 heavy truck movements from surrounding roads each year, reducing congestion, improving safety, and delivering meaningful reductions in CO₂ emissions.

The project is now well into its construction phase. Over the Christmas break, Vitruvius worked closely with the Contractor and the Principal to deliver the important first stage of the programme, setting the project up for a strong start. Taking advantage of the Christmas block of line, we reinstated more than 200 metres of existing track.

As the project progresses toward its planned opening in mid‑2026, our team will continue working alongside the contractor and PKCT to deliver:

• a new 750 metre long loading platform
• approximately 1.2 kilometres of new heavy duty rail track
• more than one hectare of new container storage area
• around 100,000 cubic metres of earthworks and imported fill
• new stormwater storage and road access infrastructure.

The PKCT project reflects Vitruvius’ broader capability to deliver complex infrastructure projects that will make a real difference to the region and local community. We are proud of the progress achieved to date and look forward to continuing our contribution as this important project reaches its next milestones.

Tunnel 21, which is located between Kaikoura and Blenheim on KiwiRail’s Main North Line, had to be upgraded to achieve minimum clearance standards, improve line speed and importantly, increase the overall network resilience of the line following the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) project. 

Vitruvius was brought into the project based on our expertise in spatial survey and design, road design, rail geometric design and digital engineering. We surveyed the track alignment and inside of the tunnel using laser scanning technology to produce a 3D model for the track design. Using KiwiRail rolling stock data, a full spatial assessment of the tunnel was completed based on the types of rail vehicles in use on the main north line. 

Following that survey work, a thorough optioneering exercise was undertaken in partnership with KiwiRail and other specialist consultants, to explore how we would make the tunnel more resilient and improve the line speed with an efficient and effective solution. The preferred solution, which has now been delivered, involved a new offline rail alignment through a 500,000m³ cutting, and a new road over rail crossing structure. The state highway also required an online re-alignment to accommodate the works. 

This project was complex due to a number of factors: the state highway crosses over the railway lines; geometry; safety and cost for scale of earth and structural works; environmental considerations of sensitive wetlands; and private access routes.

We managed the digital model and interface to provide information from the contractor through BIM delivery.

The PACE Project involved a complete upgrade of Plimmerton Station north of Wellington. The upgrades were required to enable an enhanced timetable to be implemented as a part of the Wellington Metro Upgrade Programme  (WMUPIV) capacity upgrades in Wellington. Building within the metro regions of the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is hard, however we’ve made sure that the capacity increases achieved here will be suitable for at least the next 3o years.

Vitruvius was responsible for providing the complete project and design management service, working alongside strategic partners and sub-consultants. We were directly responsible for delivering the detailed spatial track and earthworks models, as well as the drainage design and third-party utilities models.

The work was delivered through five phases of work:

• Survey, client requirements and options assessment
• Concept design
• Developed/detailed design and consenting
• Procurement and construction planning
• Construction delivery.

Here is a shortlist of the key pieces of infrastructure delivered by the project:

• A new downmain (third main) through Plimmerton Station
• A new station platform including two new shelters
• Major upgrade of the existing station platform
• A new pedestrian underpass and station access ramps/stairs
• Safety improvements (automatic gates) for five pedestrian crossings and two vehicle crossings (Pascoe Avenue and Steyne Avenue)
• Eight new turnouts to facilitate a high-speed turnback at Plimmerton
• 9km of signalling upgrade between Porirua and Pukerua Bay to facilitate bi-directional running
• 1km of electrification upgrade to facilitate the new track layout.

All of the above was delivered in and around 95 Block of Lines of various forms, with no LTI’s or serious injuries. A huge achievement from all involved.

The PACE Project was delivered within KiwiRail’s BIM pilot programme, which is focussed on project delivery using best practice information management processes and harnessing the power of operating in a model-based environment. Vitruvius committed to going on the digital journey with KiwiRail and helped develop new design and construction management tools that were standardised across the business. Furthermore, the final as built Asset Information Model (AIM) was handed back to KiwiRail for input into their asset management system, Maximo. The metadata information provided with each design model will go a long way to improving KiwiRail’s ongoing asset management programme.

This project involved a seven-phase approach to delivering the civil and geotechnical investigations to inform the concept design, business case and procurement of the P2P Electrification project. Electrification of this line will provide higher capacity and more efficient and reliable transport services along the southern transport corridor, supporting Auckland’s southern growth infrastructure strategy.

Vitruvius provided expertise to KiwiRail for the business case to secure funding for this project. We managed laser scans of 18km of corridor and provided the concept design for rail, civil (OLE), drainage assessments and earthworks for various options.

We provided designs to be costed and fed into the business case, understanding the risks and constraints that were required to be considered in the design. This was a complex rail environment with restricted access for the construction works to ensure operations were maintained for freight and commuters.

Vitruvius was then engaged to deliver the project based on our expertise and knowledge of the rail industry and experience in delivery complex optioneering assessments.

Bridge 28 on the Midland line is a 166m long bridge and various components had deteriorated over time. Replacement of the rail beams was necessary to reduce the risk of line closure due to failure.

Vitruvius played a multi-disciplinary role. We led the Project Delivery and delivered the technical survey and track alignment design.

The Bridge 28 structure has been designed with eight rail beam spans – three of which were designed to flex under load. All new rail beams were delivered on site as two pieces each which gave the contractor the ability to swap out the old wooden rail beams one side at a time. This allowed rail beams to be replaced between scheduled services on the Midland line, resulting in minimal disruption to core services.

Through coordination across multi-disciplinary scope and phases, our rail and design expertise allowed us to take a holistic view of this project to best meet the client’s objectives around cost, construction and quality.

Cameron Road is one of Tauranga’s main arterial routes with many businesses, schools and the hospital located along it.

Council was successful in securing $45 million for this project from central Government that was part of the Crown Infrastructure Projects (CIP) Initiative to support New Zealand’s recovery from COVID-19. Primarily this was because the project aligns with the Government’s overarching objectives to support growth, safety, alternate transport choices and create attractive public spaces for the community.

Vitruvius led the delivery of this important project via our Programme and Project Management expertise, while also providing Surveying Services and Digital Engineering support. This involved best practice utility modelling to inform the detailed design being done by others. Utility detection is an important step in managing risk for any project looking to modify the footpath or road, with each identified utility reducing the likelihood of service strike during construction. The digital model created by Vitruvius will further provide a ‘virtual twin’ for long-term asset management well after this project is completed.