 In 1867 the Ferrymead section was made redundant when the line through the Lyttelton rail tunnel to the port of Lyttelton opened.The contractors who had built the line operated the trains until 31 July 1868, when the Canterbury Provincial Railways took direct control.The Canterbury Provincial Railways built two lines into rural areas along the east coast, the Main South Line to Timaru and eventually Dunedin, and the Main North Line towards Marlborough.