Maia Hart14:00, May 25 2021
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The new track under State Highway 1 at Tar Barrel is now being used by trains, at the end of a two-year project.
The oldest train tunnel on the Main North Line is officially retired. But it won’t be a long retirement.
The 108-year-old Tar Barrel Tunnel will soon be filled with dirt and concreted over, as a new stretch of track, bypassing the tunnel, joins the rail network.
The $35 million project to replace the 108-year-old Tar Barrel Tunnel involved laying a kilometre of new track and rerouting State Highway 1 in south Marlborough, with KiwiRail working alongside Waka Kotahi NZTA