New Zealand railway news
News about railway and urban rail infrastructure, operations, policy, projects and the supply industry in New Zealand.
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NewsKiwiRail orders hybrid shunting locomotives
NEW ZEALAND: National operator KiwiRail has awarded Stadler a contract to supply battery-diesel hybrid shunting locomotives as well as additional main line diesel locos. The 24 Bo-Bo hybrid yard shunting locomotives will operate primarily on battery power, reducing the carbon footprint of shunting. They will have ...
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NewsKiwiRail orders track inspection car
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail has awarded MerMec a contract to supply a replacement track evaluation car. MerMec said the vehicle would provide ‘exhaustive’ real-time track analysis using 12 inspection and measurement systems including lasers, cameras and others sensors. MerMec CEO Luca Necchi Ghiri said the contract announced ...
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Metro Report InternationalGovernment cancels Auckland Light Rail project
NEW ZEALAND: The government has officially cancelled the Auckland light rail project. Work had been suspended after the National-led coalition came to power last year. On January 14 Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described the light rail scheme as ‘wasteful and unfit for purpose’, while Transport Minister ...
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In depthAustralasia: Investment pipeline promises ‘golden age of rail’
Rail has a critical role to play on the path to net zero in Australia and New Zealand, but key issues including a lack of interoperability between networks and jurisdictions need to be urgently addressed.
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NewsChanges follow review of commuter rail disruption
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail is taking action to improve track inspection on passenger routes in Wellington and Auckland following the publication of a report into service disruption during May which Greater Wellington Regional Council Chair Daran Ponter said provides ’an eye-opening account of poor decision-making’. The report ...
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NewsWellington train operating contract extended
NEW ZEALAND: Greater Wellington Regional Council has extended Transdev’s contract to operate local passenger trains under the Metlink brand until July 3 2031. Transdev has operated the services since 2016, carrying more than 1·3 million passengers/year on 2 000 services/week. It runs 3·22 million train-km/year on ...
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NewsARA plans Australia and New Zealand pavilion at InnoTrans 2024
INNOTRANS: The Australasian Railway Association will once again host a pavilion to showcase the Australian and New Zealand rail industry at InnoTrans 2024. ARA said it anticipates taking a strong delegation to Berlin, building on its success at the 2022 event. The organisation is seeking feedback ...
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NewsAuckland’s City Rail Link seeks more funding as pandemic drives up costs
NEW ZEALAND: Cross-Auckland rail tunnel project promoter City Rail Link Ltd has submitted a formal request for more funding from the government and Auckland Council, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on construction works, the supply chain, resourcing, materials and labour costs. The cost of ...
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NewsKiwiRail wagons shipped
NEW ZEALAND: Indonesian rolling stock manufacturer PT Inka shipped 133 flat wagons destined for KiwiRail on February 27. They are part of an order for 262 wagons which the national freight operator placed with Australian company UGL in January 2021. The 40 ft, 50 ft, and ...
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NewsPlanning reduces cyclone damage to Auckland rail project
NEW ZEALAND: Extensive flood response planning at construction sites has enabled Auckland’s City Rail Link project to withstand Cyclone Gabrielle and the earlier Auckland Anniversary with minimal lasting impacts, project promoter CRL Ltd reports. CEO Dr Sean Sweeney said the advance cyclone warning allowed CRL and ...
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NewsUnderstanding rail in Australia and New Zealand
AUSTRALASIA: The Australasian Railway Association has opened registration for its Understanding Rail courses aimed at new entrants to the railway and metro sectors. ARA will be holding two five-week interactive online courses during 2023, the first starting on March 1 and the second taking place in ...
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In depthTrack Technology: Going underground down under
Tracklaying is underway on 1 067 mm gauge cross-city rail links in Brisbane and Auckland, both of which are using resilient slab trackforms to minimise noise and vibration.
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Metro Report InternationalNational public transport ticketing contract awarded
NEW ZEALAND: Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems the National Ticketing Solution contract to supply an account-based ticketing platform for rail, bus and ferry services. Local transport authorities will decide on travel products and fares for their regions and control the ...
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Metro Report InternationalAuckland light rail development contract awards
NEW ZEALAND: Contracts are being awarded for further planning and development of the proposed Auckland light rail project. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Auckland Transport and Auckland Council have selected an alliance of Aurecon and Arup as preferred bidder for the next phase of planning and ...
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Rail Business UKFirstClass opportunity to target the global market at InnoTrans
INNOTRANS: FirstClass Safety & Control is at InnoTrans for the first time as part of what director Mark Meyrick says is its strategy ‘to become the world leader in rail depot safety control systems’. The UK company was formed through a management buy-out of the control ...
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NewsKiwiRail awards national traffic management system contract
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail has awarded Alstom a ‘once-in-a-generation’ contract to deploy an integrated traffic management system for the national rail network. Replacing the existing traffic control technology with the ‘state-of-the-art’ Iconis integrated system will bring a ‘step-change in the way Kiwi Rail will operate its network’, ...
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Metro Report InternationalLight rail plan to get Wellington moving
NEW ZEALAND: The government has backed the further development of plans for a light rail line from Wellington railway station to the Regional Hospital and Island Bay under the Let’s Get Wellington Moving programme. A study of four potential public transport options had concluded that light ...
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Metro Report InternationalAuckland Light Rail board appointed
NEW ZEALAND: Dame Fran Wilde has been appointed as Chair of the board being established to oversee the Auckland Light Rail project. Due to begin work on June 1, the board will succeed the Establishment Unit Board which guided development of the Indicative Business Case. ‘Dame ...
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Metro Report InternationalAuckland light rail design contract tendering gets underway
NEW ZEALAND: Tenders have been called for detailed planning and design of the light rail line which is proposed as spine of a rapid transit network covering Auckland. The NZ$14·6bn project envisages a 24 km, 18-stop light rail line running in tunnel from Wynyard Quarter to ...
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Metro Report InternationalAuckland selects underground light rail to support city’s growth
NEW ZEALAND: The government has selected a partially underground light rail line as its preferred option for a public transport corridor between Auckland’s central business district, Māngere and the airport. Announcing the decision on January 28, Minister of Transport Michael Wood said the proposed line would ...