Weekly Review No.57
This week, KiwiRail’s DM class locomotives arrive in New Zealand, CRL prepares tracks ahead of test trains and Wellington to welcome electric articulated buses in 2026.
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Cabinet is yet to decide how to replace the critical Interislander ferries, more than 300 days after controversially cancelling the purchase of two new ships.
Toot-toot — a big head of steam is building for the annual Surrey Park gathering of the Great Little Train Show at Labour Weekend.
Public buses in Whanganui will remain music-free despite some members of the public saying the silence unnerved them.
Fixing a glitch on its Interislander booking system has gone into the too-hard basket, as owner KiwiRail faces up to staff redundancies.
KiwiRail’s request for redundancy applications across its entire 4,800-strong workforce is a bid to make the business match-fit to compete with trucking after investing in rail infrastructure and new trains.
Now that Dunedin’s cruise ship season is underway, the Otago Regional Council is providing extra buses to help cover the increased demand for services to and from Port Chalmers at peak times.
The payWave symbol has appeared on several of Auckland Transport’s gated ticket readers.
KiwiRail has shared what work will be completed on the Wellington and Wairarapa rail network with part of the $52.9 million from Budget 2024.
Metlink’s on-demand bus that runs through Tawa, Kenepuru and Porirua city centre is set to be scrapped when its trial finishes at the end of this year.
The Huntly Museum Committee has officially received the Huntly Railway Station building from the Waikato District Council, the Huntly Museum still has minor fit-out works to complete before the museum opens to the public.
CentrePort’s Thorndon container terminal could be a more affordable and seismically resilient site for new inter-island ferry infrastructure, a rival port believes.
Rural mothers in Hawke’s Bay say they will have to stop taking their children to school if bus routes are cancelled.
Bluebridge owner StraitNZ has confirmed its ferry the Connemara lost power in the Cook Strait last month because of contaminated fuel.
New Zealand bus operator Kinetic has launched its new Women Up Front Trainee Bus Driver programme, aiming to recruit more female bus drivers into the industry.
Oamaru Steam and Rail members have buffed up Oamaru’s steam locomotive B10 ahead of its 100th birthday celebrations.
The Canterbury Railway Society Incorporated, based at the Ferrymead Heritage Park, is celebrating 60 years since it began.
The two DM class prototype locomotives were unloaded at Lyttelton Port early Saturday morning, Geoff Mackley released a video showing the two locomotives (8012 & 8029) being removed from the ship.
A $1 million public transport boost for Whanganui hangs in the balance after the plan was overlooked for government funding.
Commuters had the chance to snap up free plants when the Wellington City Council harvested the beds outside Wellington Railway Station on Friday morning.
Following the Labour weekend network closure the Western Line will be on a temporary 20-minute timetable with extra services between Newmarket and Swanson at peak.
The historic Oamaru Railway Station will be one of several Waitaki film locations taped for an upcoming Netflix production based on the classic American novel East of Eden.
200 new curtain sider containers with various New Zealand wildlife scenes entered service on Monday.
Funding bus services could cost Selwyn district ratepayers millions of dollars, that is the view of Selwyn’s Environment Canterbury councillors.
City Rail Link has finished grinding the tracks in the CRL tunnels ahead of test train operations, two rail grinders followed by a special vacuum travelled along the almost 8km of track to smooth out any defects or irregularities in the track.
Queenstown and Dunedin public transport offerings are at record levels, despite “challenging” economic times, the Otago Regional Council’s Annual Report shows.
Replacement track and switches for MOTAT’s tramway have been delivered to site ahead of upcoming track works, MOTAT is still fundraising for the track works with their ‘Adopt a Tram’ campaign.
Former Wellington Water boss Tonia Haskell has been appointed as managing director of train operator Transdev.
The contract for security at Dunedin’s bus hub has been awarded to a new provider — First Security.
When a call went out for drivers for the novelty "train", which takes passengers on trips around the Dunedin Botanic Garden, Alex Frost was lured by the opportunity to put "smiles on faces".
Heart of the City says the $4 billion investment in passenger rail is under threat by Ports of Auckland's plans to increase the number of containers moved by rail from about 105,000 a year at present to 700,000 in 30 years.
KiwiRail shared photos of their new curtainsider containers arriving in Tauranga, the curtainsides were designed by KiwiRail's in-house team, they feature regional flora and fauna and replace the old box wagons.
City Rail Link is preparing to install protective barriers on the Ruru Street extension, the metal barriers are being fitted on top of the concrete wall overlooking the Western Line.
Christchurch residents are closely divided on whether to keep or axe a rush-hour bus lane on a busy city road, hundreds of people have weighed in on the future of an 820m section of Cranford St, between Innes Rd and Berwick St.
Work begins later this Labour Weekend on a third platform and additional tracks at Henderson Station, which will enable more frequent and reliable train services, as part of the City Rail Link programme.
From 17 November 2024, Half Moon Bay ferry services will return to their regular timetable on weekends and ferry replacement buses will no longer operate on weekends after Saturday 16 November 2024.
Northland hapū, Te Parawhau, only have one block of their land left, but that remaining land could be acquired by Kiwirail for the Marsden Point Spur - a rail link that’s just been put on the fast track.
An inflexible “gold standard” solution for making a Masterton railway crossing safer may mean the only option is closure.
City Rail Link and KiwiRail have shared photos from inside the rail grinder cabin and the track following the recent rail grinding inside the CRL tunnels.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council will be ending the Regional Tertiary Commuter bus services due to low passenger numbers and a funding shortfall.
Security guards at Dunedin's troubled bus hub will be fitted with bodycams when the new security provider (First Security) starts in November.
Auckland Transport has announced Western Line trains will run with reduced carriage capacity until Friday, October 23.
An upcoming Auckland Transport Board decision paper titled ‘CRL Surface Road Stopping’ lists that the opening of 'the new CRL network is currently scheduled for 28 September 2025', NZ Transit Buzz understands this date is not for the opening of the City Rail Link but is related to a part of the overall CRL project.
Handover from CRL contractor to Auckland Transport is set for November 2025, the opening of CRL is still set for 2026.
Environment Canterbury has voted to fund additional public transport services this cruise ship season, following a Notice of Motion from Councillor Vicky Southworth.
It is very likely more sensitive rain monitoring systems would have stopped a train from derailing on the Kāpiti Coast in 2021, the transport watchdog says.
Due to a KiwiRail Block of Line scheduled for the upcoming Labour weekend, there will be no rail services operating between the Port of Tauranga and Auckland Metroport during the closure.
KiwiRail has no plans to slow down trains travelling through Ashburton, despite some residents believing they "rocket" through the town at dangerous speeds.
Theodore Drager's passion for Wa165 began as a youth, volunteering with Gisborne Vintage Rail from Hawke's Bay. These days he fires up Wa165 and drives it.
The first electric articulated bus is expected to join the Metlink fleet in 2026, negotiations are currently underway with Route 2 operator Kinetic to purchase and operate the articulated buses.
Metlink would like 5 articulated buses to start operating on the busiest section of Route 2 in 2026 before a full fleet of up to 29 covers the whole route.
Greater Wellington also announced the Metlink On Demand trial will be replaced in 2025 with a hail-and-ride, fixed-route bus service.
Passenger rail journeys on the Wairarapa Line are now quicker after the lifting of a temporary speed restriction (TSR) enforced in April, following track renewal near Featherston.