A 5.6-magnitude earthquake on January 5 gave South Island New Zealanders a sharp reminder of the devastating quakes which damaged much of Christchurch in 2010 and 2011. It also brought much of the rail network to a temporarily standstill while engineers checked the system’s safety.
KiwiRail, New Zealand's rail operator, declared Christchurch's North Line, South Line and Hokitika Line, clear to reopen after inspections. No serious issues were reported, says Ron Murray, KiwiRail spokesman for operations.