Rimutaka Incline Railway

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New Walkway Proposal by the Rimutaka Incline Railway

A detailed proposal (includes 500KB JPG) for a new walkway to replace that which currently occupies the historic railway formation has been prepared. It outlines a potential route between Maymorn (near Upper Hutt) and Kaitoke, up the Pakuratahi Valley to Summit, over the Rochfort Pass and descending to Cross Creek. The proposed new walkway will cater for current walking, cycling and access requirements, and it is hoped that the combination of new walkway and heritage railway will make an attractive package for visitors to the Pakuratahi Forest.

Proposed design

The proposed design of the walkway will conform to Standards New Zealand Handbook Tracks and Outdoor Structures (SNZ HB 8630:2004). The proposed walkway will be located predominantly in cut rather than fill. Stream crossings would be provided by deviating upstream to suitable sites for small bridges, rather than building fills and culverts. Gradients on most of the route would vary between 0% (level) and 10% (1 in 10), depending on local terrain and railway features, but mostly be within the 0 - 5% range.

Location

The proposed walkway would be predominantly located at a higher altitude than the railway, typically within 20m - 150m of the railway. It would commence at Maymorn, climbing towards Tunnel Gully, crossing above the Mangaroa Tunnel. It would more or less parallel the route of the railway from there to Kaitoke, linking in with the existing walkway. New road access would be put in place for Mt Climie, forestry operations and recreational facilities in these areas.

Once past the Kaitoke recreational facilities the walkway would again be on the hillside above the railway, past Munition Creek, and over the Pakuratahi Tunnel. It would remain on the south bank of the Pakuratahi River past the Pakuratahi Truss bridge, crossing by way of a new walking bridge a short distance downstream of Ladle Bend, as illustrated in the diagram above.

A hillside location is proposed from Ladle Bend through to Summit, where the walkway would link into the proposed Summit station. Gradients would then increase to 10% to cross over Rochforts Pass, then descending at the same rate to Siberia Curve and Cross Creek, located at a higher elevation than the railway.

Starting point for discussion

The proposed design and location of walkway are intended as a starting point for further discussion to refine details, especially where railway alignment options exist, for example - Maymorn, Kaitoke and Cross Creek. The Trust has been consulting with users, user groups and licence holders where known, and will continue to consult so as to determine requirements for the walkway. The Trust welcomes your questions, comments and requests for meetings - please contact: enquiries@rimutaka-incline-railway.org.nz, or reference the Contacts document for additional contact details.

Updates

2 July 2004:

detailed proposal (includes 500KB JPG) document added, detailing proposed new walkway location for 90% of the route from Maymorn - Kaitoke - Summit - Cross Creek

27 January 2005:

Statements of conformance to Standards New Zealand Handbook Tracks and Outdoor Structures (SNZ HB 8630:2004) added.

Additional information and diagrams will be added as they become available.

Walkway

Walkway.

Detailed proposal.