No one is sure how long the railway track connecting Kawerau industry to the Port of Tauranga will be closed, but Kajavala Forestry managing director Jacob Kajavala has been told it could be weeks.

The KiwiRail freight train that carries logs and wood pulp, among other goods, from Murupara and Kawerau to the international port, was derailed on Sunday when it tried to cross a flooded section of track near Te Puke.

Jacob, whose business oversees log movement, says it has been operating from the Kawerau railhead of the East Coast Main Trunkline for the past 20 years and they have never seen anything like the derailment near Te Puke on Sunday.

'The question on everyone's lips is how long it's going to take to get running again. KiwiRail have said it will be weeks but they haven't said how many weeks.”

He says it will definitely create a slowdown for his business.

'The export component of the logs will be slowed right down to the port until that rail is back up again. There will be a bit more trucking going on but there are nowhere near enough trucks to compensate for the loss of that train. Not even close.”

He remains optimistic about his company's ability to weather the storm.

'There have been bigger market slowdowns, usually driven by sales. This is the first time we've seen a significant slowdown due to logistics. We got through all the other ones, we'll get through this one as well.”

He says having the railway out of action will affect a number of businesses.

'For this region there will be a slowdown until that rail is back up. How much of a slowdown, we're not quite sure, but it's already slowed down. Everyone is trying to establish timelines as to when it might get going again but it's uncertain right now. It's a very big repair job.”

Work begun on Wednesday to remove the overturned wagons of train that derailed east of Te Puke on Sunday morning.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission unfroze the scene around 9.50am and work was underway to remove the 11 derailed wagons, says KiwiRail chief operating officer rail operations Siva Sivapakkiam. Read more here.

A spokesperson from Oji Fibre Solutions says the incident will not adversely affect the Kawerau pulp mill operations.

The spokesperson confirms the company lost some pulp, destined for export markets, as a result of the derailment.

'Three wagons of pulp would need to be reclaimed. This pulp would likely be made into recycled paper at Penrose or Kinleith,” says the spokesperson.

-Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.