Rail services using lines between Canterbury and the West Coast could be out of action for sometime, following a devastating blaze.
A fire ripped through 300-hectares of conservation land between Staircase and Craigieburn in Canterbury - damaging the railway line.
The fire has covered an area involving eight rail bridges, a number of which have been damaged.
KiwiRail Group general Manager of Network Services Todd Moyle said they will get in and assess the bridges tomorrow, and have an estimated operational time by the end of the week.
He said the crews will find a way to get it functioning again.
"I have full confidence in our teams and their ability to get in there and come up with innovative solutions to get these lines back and operational."
Moyle said it's still too soon to know how quick or costly the repairs will be.
"It will take us a day or two to really get an understanding of the full extent of that damage and be able to make an estimate on the time to repair it."
听
Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you
Get the iHeart App
Get more of the radio, music and podcasts you love with the FREE iHeartRadio app. Scan the QR code to download now.
Download from the app stores
Stream unlimited music, thousands of radio stations and podcasts all in one app. iHeartRadio is easy to use and all FREE
