Hawke's Bay's railway lines have been severely damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle, with clean-up well underway, but questions remain as to when trains will be rolling again.
Authorities now fear what the flow-on effects of freight delays will have on local businesses.
The main freight link connecting Napier and Hastings will be out of action for at least another six months following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Meanwhile, further north, Napier to Wairoa still lacks a repair timeline.
Torn, twisted, and freshly lifted from a thick layer of silt. Train tracks have been strewn for miles across the landscape.
What was the region's main freight line now needs to be rebuilt from scratch.
KiwiRail program director Daniel Headifen told 1News that the recent cyclone feels more significant than any other event.
"The Awatoto Bridge survived through Bola, and it survived the 1938 floods, so it is major.
"The cost of this, it's obviously in the millions. Is it in the tens of millions? That's just too early to tell. We need to get out and have our people start to get the quantity of how big the dropouts are — a number of culverts and such that need work," he said.
The Awototo rail bridge was destroyed by silt and wood debris. It is the only line connecting Hastings and Napier. Before the cyclone hit, 350 containers a week used the bridge to transport goods like wine, canned food, and paper.
The tracks are expected to be out of action for at least 6 months.
Most of the network will need to be rebuilt from scratch
The Napier to Wairoa line is the worst hit, with 150 damaged sites.
Transporting NZ Nick Legget said the trucking industry would pick up the bulk of the freight.
"Already a shortage of drivers in the trucking industry; there will be more trucks and more people required to move this freight. We're just focussing on that resilience question," Legget said.
"The great thing about the trucking industry. It often responds at the drop of a hat to this sort of challenge, and it's certainly doing so here."
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