Pakuratahi loop

Although not a feature of the original railway, a crossing loop is proposed in the vicinity of the Pakuratahi tunnel for operational purposes. The loop would be 6.0km from Kaitoke and 5.6km from Summit, roughly half way between the two stations.

A 250 metre-long straight has been identified for the crossing loop, immediately north of the Commission Siding bridge, on the Wellington side of the Pakuratahi tunnel. Minimal earthworks would be required to form the trackbed for a crossing loop at this position, with land either side of the formation at this point already having been modified during forestry operations.