Clarke Underground completed an extensive project commissioned by KiwiRail. The North Island Communication enhancement – Stage 3 (NICE 3). The project took just under 12 months and will allow for the installation of fibre connectivity for KiwiRail operational systems.

The project involved 55km of duct installation within the KiwiRail corridor, approximately 5-7m from the rail centre line, along the main trunk line from Pōrewa to Marton to Feilding and then onto Palmerston North.

The project required mole-ploughing, open trenching, directional drilling and rock sawing. The main methodology used for the project was to clear existing vegetation and pre-rip the area with a large digger in preparation for the ploughing. After the ploughing, installation of ducting occurred then the area was tidied and compacted with tractors and diggers.