A rail bridge spanning a river in South Canterbury has had a pillar washed out following several days of wet weather in the region.
A KiwiRail spokesperson confirmed to 1News this afternoon that high flood waters had washed away one of the 34 piers on the 610m-long bridge over the Rangitata River.
"The missing pier has resulted in the steel bridge spans sagging."
Trains on the Main South Line have been stopped.
As of the last sample at 11am, the Rangitata River was 3.5m above its normal level.
"KiwiRail engineers are currently putting together a repair plan, but at this stage we have been unable to undertake a close physical inspection of the damage due to the high water levels."
The bridge is an "important part" of the rail connection linking Invercargill, Dunedin and Christchurch. the spokesperson said.
The rail bridge over the Rangitata Bridge is sagging after one of its support pillars was washed away this week.
"About 8 freight trains travel across the bridge every weekday and about 5 each weekend."
Freight will be moved via road between the Ashburton and Timaru rail terminals while the bridge is closed.
"This will keep the Invercargill – Dunedin – Christchurch rail freight connection running."
It is unknown how long it will take to complete repairs or if further damage could occur.
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