KiwiRail EF 20232Hapuawhenua Viaduct Hapuawhenua Viaduct

The EF class were built by Brush Traction UK and delivered 1988 for working trains over the new electrified section of the North Island Main Trunk between Hamilton and Palmerston North. At 4000 HP they remain the most powerful locomotive on the KiwiRail network but are being phased out by 2018, being replaced by Chinese diesel locomotives. The Hapuawhenua Viaduct was opened in 1987, being one of several deviations built as part of the project. At 414 m length, it is the longest bridge on the 680 Km long line. The Overlander train between Auckland and Wellington was replaced by Northern Explorer in 2012. The new train is incapable of being operated by EF locomotives and is DFT hauled.