Weekly Review No.42
This week, Auckland Transport tests its new EMUs, delays push back the opening of the North Auckland Line and the Aratere returns to service after running aground.
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You can keep informed by following our Twitter/X for real-time transport news updates or look back at the week that was the Weekly Review below.
Engraved glass panels by artist Claire Bell have been installed at the Virginia Road bus shelter in Whanganui.
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A ferry design previously sidelined by KiwiRail is being discussed as a potential replacement option for the ageing Interislander fleet, BusinessDesk understands.
For the past 20 years, Chris Mechen has been a familiar face to many Wellington train passengers, his cheerful attitude and big smile have earned him a reputation as a local legend, brightening up the daily commute for countless passengers.
A multi-million dollar makeover of Thorndon Quay that includes the installation of 5 raised & signalised pedestrian crossings and peak-hour bus lanes, could potentially shave a minute or two off homeward bus journeys – or not.
A new render of Pakūranga station on the Eastern Busway has been released by Auckland Transport.
KiwiRail has shared an explainer video about why KiwiRail works on the tracks at night and what type of work gets done.
An announcement on the purchase of new Cook Strait ferries is coming soon, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.
Bus patronage in Canterbury continues to outstrip pre-Covid levels, surpassing more than 1 million trips in a month, however, passengers complain buses are notoriously unreliable.
Hokitika Council, in an extraordinary meeting on July 4, approved extra costs in response to KiwiRail requirements above the original tender price for a flood bank build.
On Saturday morning train testing began at Pukekohe Station to prepare the crew for operation in January 2025 after track foundations work between Papakura & Pukekohe are complete, NZ Rail Photos captured several photos of the test train at Pukekohe Station.
On Sunday morning the test train ran along the line between Pukekohe & Papakura, NZ Rail Photos captured the test train in action watch below.
YMCA’s valuers argued it was losing $17 million by not being able to build a 300-space subterranean carpark in service of a theoretical apartment building due to the construction of the City Rail Link below.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi investigated “safety concerns” relating to Auckland and Wellington’s commuter rail services, with the two private companies writing to the agency making allegations against state-owned enterprise KiwiRail.
KiwiRail is meeting with staff over its restructure, with jobs on the line as it carries out its “transformation programme”.
While the Government is working urgently on a new plan to replace the ageing Cook Strait ferries, there's big questions about the portside infrastructure in both Wellington and Picton.
Two sets of traffic lights meant to make a railway crossing safer are causing dangerous driving as frustrated motorists race through, a Plimmerton resident says.
There will be a weekend closure on Kamo Road in Whangarei from 7:00 pm Friday 12 July until 5:00 am Monday 15 July while Kiwirail replace the tracks that cross Kamo Road, trains will also roll out for testing and then freight resumes from late July 2024.
More than 200 consultants and companies clipped the ticket on Labour’s failed light rail project in Auckland, according to details released under the Official Information Act.
At Karanga-a-Hape Station the cable pulling operation throughout the station is approaching 75% completion, with 371km of the 503km required now installed, in June, the team pulled 36km of cable.
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A transport union says KiwiRail plans to downsize its team responsible for health and safety by more than a quarter, while the organisation maintains it's "relentlessly focused" on safety.
Australasian logistics firm C3, which operated Waingawa Rail Log Hub near Masterton, told its forestry and port partners it would cease operations in August, the closure could see 35-40 logging trucks a day back on the road.
Auckland Transport will trial trackless trams before the end of the year.
Last week at the Council’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee, KiwiRail gave an update about the state of the network and the work they’re doing to get it ready for the opening of the City Rail Link.
New Zealand First has publicly raised the possibility that human error caused the grounding of the Interislander ferry Aratere.
Auckland Transport has tested their new EMUs on a piece of new track between Puhinui and Papatoetoe as part of the Wiri to Quay Park, Third Main Line project, the Wiri to Quay Park project is due to be completed by mid-2025.
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Train Spotting New Zealand has shared a video of Glenbrook Vintage Railway shifting their SD units through Frankton after departing Taumarunui on Tuesday.
Interislander has denied claims that the Aratere ran aground last month after it was put on autopilot.
The taxpayer bill for the abandoned iRex project is almost half a billion dollars — with $94 million of that for mega ferries that were never built.
Mcewan Haulage LTD has shared photos of work they completed alongside HEB in North Otago during the past weekend.
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City Rail Link will be connecting the overhead line equipment in the new Waitematā Station (Britomart) tunnels from 22 July to 4 August.
Works will impact train services with Platform 1 and Platform 4 both seeing week-long closures, due to the works Western Line Services will run at a 20-minute frequency between Waitematā & Newmarket all day, and the rest of the Western Line will run to 10-minute frequencies at peak between Swanson & Newmarket, other lines may see platform changes but no timetable changes.
Horizons Regional Council and Whanganui District Council have delivered nearly a decades’ worth of public transport infrastructure upgrades in a fraction of the time, 19 bus shelters were installed or upgraded.
The Marsden Point rail link is being worked on with 80% of the path purchased, the design being worked on, and looking at around mid-2025 to send both the design and business case to the government for approval.
City Rail Link has shared photos of the streetscape works around Maungawhau Station.
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More people are taking the bus in Canterbury as the cost of living crisis continues to bite, Environment Canterbury says it has seen a significant increase in bus patronage since it introduced its $2 and $1 fares trial last year, particularly in the Waimakariri and Selwyn districts.
Troy Stade, a union lawyer representing the ferry’s bridge crew, on Wednesday “categorically” ruled out any suggestion any beverages were involved in the incident.
KiwiRail has revealed that a "very concerning" manufacturing defect is partly to blame for a series of disruptions to Auckland's train network over the past few months.
Auckland Transport says it’s honoured to have been gifted te reo Māori names by mana whenua for the new bus stations and structures being built for the Eastern Busway.
The station names:
Pakūranga in the town centre
Te Taha Wai near Edgewater College and the Shopping Centre
Koata by Riverhills Park
Pōhatu in Burswood
When model train enthusiasts get together for a workshop, it’s as much about working with model trains as it is about sharing ideas.
Wellington’s Cable Car will be closed for annual maintenance from July 29 till August 4, the cable car will reopen at 7:30 am on August 5.
Key works:
Replacement of lower bogie
Seismic strengthening of the Lambton Quay Terminal
Gripper brake testing with 750kg of extra weight
Roller replacement at the passing loop
Wash treatment for the cars
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Maritime NZ has lifted the detention notice on the Aratere but has imposed conditions on the operation of the vessel starting with crew and rail freight only, then trucks & their drivers, followed by a limited passenger service, & then full-capacity sailings.
One mistakenly pressed button sent the 17,816-tonne Aratere ferry off-course – but crew on the bridge couldn’t wrestle back control from autopilot before running aground was inevitable, a leaked internal safety bulletin shows.
KiwiRail released its June/July Northland Rail Programme newsletter, In the newsletter KiwiRail revealed there has been undiscovered damage on some bridges along the lines and are working to repair them, They also stated they were planning to reopen the NAL in late July, but now expect the opening will be pushed out by at least a month.
In the Eastern Busway Newsletter Auckland Transport shared an image of one of the piers that are under construction for the Rā Hihi (Reeves Road) flyover.
Auckland Transport also shared that May 2024 saw a 7.5% increase in bus trips between Pakūranga and Botany compared to May 2023.
The WX1 has recorded 500,000 boardings since its launch in November, to celebrate Auckland Transport is giving away $50 HOP credit, to enter share your favourite WX1 memory on their post on Facebook.
The troubled Interislander ferry is expected to sail from Picton to Wellington on Thursday for the first time since 21 June, under strict safety conditions.
A TaxpayersUnion – Curia poll has revealed that a plurality of New Zealanders support selling the Interislander ferry services to a private operator. 43% of respondents supported the sale compared with just 38% opposed. The remaining 19% were unsure.
Protection works for one of Westport's most dangerous flood areas has "ground to a halt", says West Coast Regional Council principal engineer Peter Blackwood and he blames KiwiRail.
Over Three Months, Baybus OnDemand in Tauranga South has completed 4,600 rides.
1News can reveal an independent advisory group has recommended to ministers that KiwiRail no longer run the Cook Strait ferries.