Weekly Review No.48
This week, KiwiRail’s new DM locomotives are bound for New Zealand, Fullers360’s Kekeno to remain in dry dock and City Rail Link moves leaps and bounds towards opening.
Kia ora! We're thrilled to have you here for another exciting edition of NZ Transit Buzz Weekly Review.
As always you can keep yourself updated by following our Twitter/X for real-time transport news updates.
Established with the objective of ensuring enduring viability of the Canterbury supply chain, the Fairfield Freight Hub is set to be a game-changer for intermodal transport.
Satisfaction with service reliability, frequency and capacity grew strongly in Metlink’s 2024 Public Transport Passenger Satisfaction Survey.
The Hamilton city council has given the green light to turn ghost-bus stops around the city into more useful spaces including carparks.
A drop-off in train passengers has seen the Greater Wellington Regional Council borrow $24 million to fund the shortfall.
The Westland District Council announced that it will have to close the Totara Rail Bridge from 19 August because of the potential for sudden failure of truss spans in the bridge structure. The bridge is used as a pedestrian and cycleway.
New Zealand Land Transport Agency Waka Kotahi looks to have raised more questions than answers after comments about the future of Melling Station.
How often do you need buses to run, what route the buses should take to get to their destination while reaching the most people? Pete Moth the head of public transport services planning and development at Auckland Transport spoke to RNZ’s Emile Donovan to answer these questions and more.
KiwiRail confirmed the signaling failures at Waitematā Station (Britomart) over the last few months have been rectified after the manufacturer replaced faulty frequency converters on the points machines. KiwiRail says they have been performing as intended for a few weeks.
An Official Information request response has revealed two KiwiRail Temporary Speed Restrictions on the Auckland Network which are causing long-term delays to timetables.
Wiri to Westfield on the Southern Line (delaying services by about 58 seconds), due to formation and drainage issues.
Newmarket to Britomart (delaying services by about 1 minute 26 seconds) due to weather-related issues following the extreme weather event in January 2023 and formation issues in the Parnell tunnel.
KiwiRail revealed there are currently about 4km of TSRs on the network, KiwiRail said these delays are both in areas where Rail Network Rebuild (RNR) work has yet to be carried out.
Former KiwiRail chair David McLean’s swipe at Nicola Willis over ferries and why trust was a problem.
If you think you have a long way to walk to your closest Auckland bus stop, spare a thought for the longest break between stops the region boasts overall - more than a whopping 25km.
Talk of a return of the Wellington to Auckland night train has been given an injection of hope thanks to the rising cost of domestic airfares.
Fullers360's Kekeno will remain with McMullen and Wing for repairs following initial inspections for its '5-year Condition of’ survey, as well as general repairs and maintenance there will be work on the genset alternators and refurbishment of the waterjets and impeller shafts.
Fullers D7 will be arriving at McMullen and Wing this week for an Intermediate Survey.
Increased frequency and more convenient connections between bus and rail services are among the benefits of the Paraparaumu transport hub, set to open on Sunday 25 August.
Nelson City Council has extended their trial of large dogs on buses through summer, a decision will be made in early 2025 as to whether this will become a permanent fixture of the eBus service.
A new campaign from Auckland Transport it bringing to life the future benefits of Auckland’s major infrastructure projects by showcasing the city from a fresh perspective in a new campaign via TBWA\NZ.
City Rail Link’s Sean Sweeney on what he’s most proud of and why he’s heading to Dublin.
Back in 2011, when it arrived in time for the RWC, the OuterLink was a game-changer. It was the first frequent route across the isthmus, linking key destinations like St Lukes, Newmarket, the universities, Ponsonby and MOTAT.
Newly assembled train wagons appeared near the Dunedin Railway station earlier this week, the container flat top "IL" wagons were built by KiwiRail with parts provided by its supplier UGL Rail.
The Capital Connection Café Carriage did not return to service as planned on the 21st of August but instead returned on the 23rd of August.
City Rail Link has energised the final high voltage 22kV switchgear or substation room for the project, the final switchgear energisation took place at Te Waihorotiu Station.
Friend of NZ Transit Buzz Shaun Baker from Multimodal Adventures has shared photos of the construction progress at the Beresford Square entrance to Karanga-a-Hape station.
Shaun also popped along to the Mercury Lane entrance to Karanga-a-Hape station where the scaffolding that has covered the sky element facade is starting to be removed.
City Rail Link has shared a fitout progress update picture from inside the concourse level at Te Waihorotiu Station, CRL says the concourse is now over 90% complete.
An Upper Hutt club that has kept the local miniature railway going for 54 years could run out of steam unless younger faces join their ranks.
Travellers on KiwiRail’s Interislander ferries are no strangers to delays, but the new Government appears to be stretching the public’s patience, by not committing to a timetable for making a decision on what kind of ferries will replace KiwiRail’s ailing fleet of three Interislander ships.
KiwiRail has suspended works on Bridge 16 in the foothills of the Southern Alps after it was covered in snow during a planned closure, Teams will be working to re-open the line once conditions ease up.
Keeping a Masterton road open will cost more than $4.8 million, KiwiRail says, The level crossing would require traffic lights on Ngaumutawa Rd that are connected to the railway signals, along with some road reconfiguration.
This month kicks off work to improve safety at Masterton’s level crossings, KiwiRail will be upgrading 25, and closing five level crossings along the stretch of network between Featherston and Masterton.
City Rail Link has shared a construction progress photo from the platform level of Te Waihorotiu Station, CRL says construction is over 90% complete.
From humble beginnings, Global Bus Ventures is now at the cutting edge of the transport sector, developing everything from buses, trucks, and chase boats for the America’s Cup.
Thomas Nash has shared details of Metlink's bus network reliability, Nash said they have had about a year of 99% reliability on the bus network and ridership has responded with record levels
Waikato Regional Council has confirmed (if approved at an upcoming council meeting) that they intend for Te Huia to stop at Pukekohe beginning 30 September 2024.
A Waikato Regional Council spokesperson confirmed discussions about accessing the Pukekohe platforms are underway with Auckland Transport, Te Huia would continue to stop at Papakura Station, and WRC is also working with KiwiRail on clearance testing at Pukekohe Station.
KiwiRail’s first two DM prototypes, built by Stadler, are now on their way from Spain to Lyttelton, the new locomotives were loaded onto the ship in early August and are due to arrive in New Zealand in mid-October.
The Westland District Council advises it will consider options for repair, replacement or permanent closure of the Totara River Rail Bridge on the West Coast Wilderness Trail at its meeting on 29 August.
Auckland Transport is welcoming nine new transport officers, bolstering numbers across the network as it tries to improve commuter safety.
A new multi-million-dollar transport hub opening this weekend has been deemed “lavish” with an admission it wouldn’t necessarily get approved in the current economic climate.
Metro’s Greater Christchurch network has superseded a former post-earthquake patronage record – with nearly 14.5 million passenger trips taken in the 2023-24 financial year. That’s 2.8 per cent above the previous post-earthquake record of almost 14.1 million passenger trips in the 2013-14 financial year.
X/Twitter user @nuclearkiwik has created a map showing the average daily boardings for each Auckland train and busway station.
Fostering a culture of active bystanders could help women and other vulnerable groups feel safe using public transport, according to new research.
Spotted by X/Twitter user @pv_reynolds, the scaffolding around the Mercury Lane entrance to Karanga-a-Hape Station is almost half removed.
A large batch of aluminum rods has just arrived at Te Waihorotiu Station to be installed as part of the Wellesley St entrance building’s feature ceiling.
Our sister publication Every Auckland Station is BACK!
Akoranga Station is the next stop on the Every Auckland Station journey, learn about its past, future, and what's nearby, read the post here at 10 am Sunday.
The future of a 33-year-old commuter service in the lower North Island is up in the air, again, after its funding arrangement expired, again.
City Rail Link's new stations are the stage for three emergency training exercises involving police, Fenz and Hato Hone St John.
Enjoy a crew's perspective of a day on the Interislander ferries.
If ferries aren’t your cup of tea enjoy a train trip from Westfield to Te Rapa.