The Government is delivering on its pre-election commitment to invest in rail and develop domestic rail workshops to create jobs as part of the COVID-19 economic recovery plan, Transport Minister Michael Wood and State Owned Enterprises Minister Dr David Clark announced today. Michael Wood said investing in critical infrastructure to boost jobs and the economy…
Tag: rail
New rail link removes oldest tunnel – KiwiRail
Trains running between Picton and Christchurch are now using a new stretch of rail track that bypasses the oldest tunnel on the line, bringing greater resilience to the key freight and tourism corridor. KiwiRail, working with Waka Kotahi NZTA, has built one kilometre of new track and a new road overpass for State Highway One…
Keep track of your surroundings this Rail Safety Week – Michael Wood
Despite a drop in the number of collisions and near misses, Kiwis need to be more alert around trains than ever before, Transport Minister Michael Wood said while launching Rail Safety Week. “The number of collisions and near misses with people and vehicles have both fallen by more than 40 per cent over the last…
Passenger rail services need to be back on track now – RMTU
Further delays with long distance passenger rail services are undermining New Zealand’s climate change response, says the Union for rail workers. Rail and Maritime Transport Union General Secretary Wayne Butson says passenger rail offers a low emission option for environmentally conscious travellers. But three key services – the Northern Explorer, TranzAlpine and Coastal Pacific –…
Contract for Christchurch mechanical rail hub – KiwiRail
A new rail mechanical facility in Christchurch will support more than a hundred of construction jobs and help ensure efficient rail services for the South Island, KiwiRail Acting Group Chief Executive Todd Moyle says. KiwiRail has signed a contract with South Island construction firm Calder Stewart to build a multi-million dollar mechanical hub at the…
Why New Zealand should invest in smart rail before green hydrogen to decarbonise transport
Why New Zealand should invest in smart rail before green hydrogen to decarbonise transport In a new article on The Conversation, Adjunct Professor Susan Krumdieck looks at whether Aotearoa New Zealand could achieve low-carbon transport via direct electrification, rather than green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is being touted as a renewable fuel, but there are a…
New information board tracks history of Lyttelton rail tunnel
A new information board telling the story of the Lyttelton Rail Tunnel – the oldest rail tunnel in New Zealand – has been erected on Heathcote Valley’s Station Road. The information board has been developed by Engineering New Zealand’s Canterbury Heritage Chapter to publicly honour the achievement of the engineers who oversaw the tunnel’s construction….
Waltham investment key to the future of South Island rail – Peters and Jones
The Government is investing $39 million to build a new rail maintenance facility in Christchurch which will support hundreds of construction jobs and ensure a strong future for South Island rail, State Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones say. The funding comes from the Government’s $3 billion for infrastructure projects to…
Support for resilient rail connection to the West Coast – Jones and Tabuteau
A $13 million investment from Government will create jobs and improve the resilience of the rail connection between Christchurch and the West Coast,Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones and Regional Economic Development Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau say. The funding comes from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure projects and forms part of the $90…