For a period of seven years from 27 November 1988, the northern section of the Wairarapa Line was effectively mothballed, with no trains scheduled to pass through Kopuaranga. Congestion on the Wellington - Palmerston North section of the NIMT led to the rescheduling of the Wellington - Napier freight services to run via the Wairarapa from 14 August 1995. Following the daylighting of tunnels Nos. 3, 4, 5 on the Palmerston North-Gisborne Line in Q3 2008, and thus the removal of the impediment to running hi-cube containers through the Manawatu Gorge, the Wellington - Napier freight services were redirected to their original route from Q4 2008.