the second attempt was to electrify the line from christchurch to lyttelton. following the successful electrification of the otira tunnel in 1923, and a report recommending electrification of the suburban networks of new zealand’s four main cities, it was decided to electrify the christchurch – lyttelton route using the same system as had been used at otira. fortunately, because the tunnel had originally been built to accommodate the provincial railways' larger broad gauge rolling stock, the tunnel was already sufficiently large enough to accommodate the overhead catenary without modification. the first electric train ran from christchurch to lyttelton on 14 february 1929. electrification lasted until 1970, by which time the ec class electric locomotives had reached the end of their working lives. with the decline in rail services after the opening of the lyttelton road tunnel in 1964, and with dieselisation almost complete and only a few steam locomotives left in revenue service, the electrification system was scrapped in favour of diesel haulage.