Rail & Ferry

Te Puia’s NZMACI receives nearly $6m and the Major Events Fund almost $18m.

An investigation into a power outage on Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry on 28 January 2023 has found that KiwiRail did not correctly follow its own equipment replacement processes.

An inquiry on the future of inter-regional passenger rail has attracted more than 1,000 written submissions from members of the public since it began in August last year.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has warned of growing climate change risk to New Zealand’s rail infrastructure following a derailment.

Disruption to KiwiRail’s Wellington network and services such as the Northern Explorer due to a faulty track evaluation car could be over by the end of the week.

Scenic train journeys on the Northern Explorer will be slower on trips between Wellington and Auckland from today.

KiwiRail has been fined $350,000 and ordered to pay $30,000 in reparations after a worker was injured on an Interislander ferry.

Fullers360 has welcomed the government’s move to improve residency pathways for skippers and deck hands under the transport sector agreement.

The transport sector agreement is being extended to help ferry businesses access workers.

The Kaitaki ferry will be back in full service tomorrow, Wednesday 12 April, after being out of service since 4 March due to a gearbox issue. 

The Commerce Commission is launching an investigation into Interislander and StraitNZ, the owner of Bluebridge, about the ongoing ferry delays and cancellations.

Fullers360 is urging people travelling to and from Waiheke Island over the Easter break to plan ahead and travel during off peak times.

Fullers360 is reducing fares from Auckland to Waiheke Island during off-peak hours, in a move its chief executive says will make a positive difference to passengers, tourism operators and Waiheke Island business owners.

KiwiRail’s Interislander says almost all passengers with bookings during Easter will be able cross the Cook Strait.

Mayor Nadine Taylor and Greater Wellington Regional Council Chair Daran Ponter have jointly written to Transport Minister Michael Wood, expressing concerns about the lack of support for ships in the Cook Strait.

Auckland Light Rail is encouraging the public to have a say about what key destinations could be included on the 24-kilometre indicative route between the airport and central city.

KiwiRail’s tourist trains generated $9.3m in revenue for the half year to December 2022, up from the $1.8m reported for the previous Covid-impacted corresponding period.

A “perfect storm” of ferry maintenance work and breakdowns have caused accommodation shortages and heartache for travellers looking to cross the Cook Strait.

To mark International Women’s Day this week, the Ticker is publishing a series of articles from women leaders in tourism and will look at the state of equality in the sector.

The Interislander ferry Kaitaki will resume passenger services tomorrow following the go-ahead from independent assessors and Maritime New Zealand.

The Dunedin City Council is exploring new ways to revitalise Dunedin Railways Limited and the Taieri Gorge train service.

The Cook Strait operators are accused of flouting compensation rules but they may not have to meet the same standard as airlines.

Work on Auckland’s light rail project has begun this week, with the first of 30 bore holes being drilled in Sandringham.

Consumer New Zealand has criticised Interislander and Bluebridge for failing to do enough to help customers impacted by Cook Strait ferry mechanical failures.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison has expressed concern that plans to upgrade the Wellington and Picton ferry terminals may be scaled back.

Trains in Aotearoa could help with decarbonisation as well as connecting people once again through tourism and intercity travel, write Robert McLachlan and Paul Callister.

A redesign of the Interislander website aims to improve the customer experience for ferry passengers.

Interislander is putting on additional sailings of Aratere and Valentine to help meet increased demand for ferries across the Cook Strait.

A fault in an engine cooling system has been identified as the issue that caused KiwiRail’s Kaitaki ferry to lose power and drift across the Cook Strait on Saturday.

The Maritime Union has criticised the failure of an engine in the Kaitaki ferry as being an indication of an aging fleet.

The 187-metre-long ferry is able to carry up to 500 passengers and includes 120 cabins, of which some some are dog-friendly.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has launched inquiries into the Interislander ferry Kaitaki losing power and an Air New Zealand Boeing 777 losing control on the ground.

Interislander facilities will also be able to accommodate two new larger ferries, with diesel and electric hybrid capabilities.

Bay of Islands Vintage Railway will unveil its fully-restored steam train over the upcoming Anniversary Weekend.

Auckland’s rail network will shut down over the upcoming Anniversary Weekend, says KiwiRail.

Crowds have gathered in Taumarunui to celebrate the return of the Northern Explorer at a station-side party.

Easy By West Ferries and Hutt City Council have raised concerns over young people jumping into the direct line of ferries on the northern side of Days Bay wharf near Wellington.

KiwiRail’s network-wide rail holiday shutdown in Auckland will take place from 26 December until 15 January to allow workers to conduct network maintenance.

Central North Island operators in the Ruapehu region and Taumarunui are set to benefit from the scenic train’s visits.

StraitNZ Bluebridge has donated $10,000 to a fund to support Marlborough school camps at Mistletoe Bay as part of the Port Marlborough Sounds Discovery Fund.

Entrada Travel Group has secured a twenty-year contract to operate the Noosa North Shore Vehicle Ferry, on behalf of the Noosa Council in Queensland, Australia.

In a series of profiles leading up to Thursday’s event, the Ticker talks to East by West, a finalist in the Environment Award.

KiwiRail will be hoping for a strong rebound in its tourist trains business after revenue fell to $3.5m for the year to June 2022 – the lowest recorded during the pandemic .

The leftover food from the ferry operator’s onboard cafés will go to people in need around Auckland.

Queenstown public transport users will now be able to use their Bee Card to travel on ferry services from today.

KiwiRail and Higgins Towing Services have been sentenced and fined in the Wellington District Court for failing to provide a safe working environment.

East by West Ferries has received the 2022 Skål Sustainable Tourism Award for its Ika Rere (Flying Fish), the first fully electric, zero-emission fast passenger ferry in the Southern Hemisphere.

KiwiRail will remain a state-owned enterprise to focus on transitioning its above-rail business to be financially self-sufficient, says the government.

KiwiRail has reported a surplus of $133.9m for the year to 30 June 2022 in what it called a difficult operating environment.

Auckland Light Rail and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency have named preferred bidders for Auckland Light Rail and the additional Waitematā Harbour connections.