Working with KiwiRail
CB Civil has a proven record of delivering complex works within New Zealand’s rail corridor. From Kaikōura to Auckland, we partner with KiwiRail to strengthen the national network, enabling it to meet the growing demands of both commuters and freight. Our rail teams are specialists in formation, drainage, culverts, retaining structures, and ancillary works, all delivered with a strong focus on safety, collaboration, and programme certainty.
Working in live rail environments requires more than technical skill. It demands meticulous planning, tight coordination, and the ability to execute within narrow access windows. Our crews regularly work nights, weekends, and public holidays to complete critical upgrades during block-of-line closures, handing projects back on time, on budget, and with zero impact to passenger or freight services.
Our Approach
- Trusted Partner: A long-standing relationship with KiwiRail built on consistent delivery, transparency, and safety.
- Live Corridor Specialists: Experienced in planning and delivering works within block-of-line closures and constrained access environments.
- Self-Performing: Our own people and plant manage the critical scopes, from heavy lifts to structural installations, ensuring quality and control.
- Resilient Outcomes: Focused on future-proofing the network by strengthening formation, upgrading drainage, and replacing aging assets.
Experience Across the Network
Culvert Replacements: Between 2018 and 2020, CB Civil delivered KiwiRail’s major culvert replacement programme, installing and restoring nearly 100 culverts across 250 km of rail, completed without a single unplanned service delay. Works included large bridge box culverts, stormwater culverts, concrete headwalls, wing walls, and erosion protection.
Formation and Drainage Upgrades: Across Auckland’s network, CB Civil is delivering formation reconstruction and drainage renewals under the Rail Network Growth Impact Management (RNGIM) programme. This work strengthens the network’s foundations and shifts maintenance from reactive to proactive, ensuring resilience ahead of the City Rail Link’s commissioning.
Ancillary Structures: Construction of seawalls, groynes, revetments, and retaining structures to safeguard the rail corridor against erosion, flooding, and geotechnical risks.
Rail Capabilities
Track formation excavation, remediation, and stabilisation
Ballast renewal and subgrade improvements
Subsoil and cess drainage construction and renewals
Culvert and under-track crossing installation (800 mm – 2400 mm)
Bridge box culverts and associated headwalls/wing walls
Retaining walls and erosion control structures
Seawalls, revetments, and groynes for corridor protection
Corridor access planning, block-of-line management, and live rail safety integration
