KiwiRail

The Te Huia passenger train between Hamilton and Auckland will run additional weekday and weekend services from February next year.

Rail networks in Auckland and Wellington will be closed over Labour Weekend to enable KiwiRail to conduct line works.

The SOE’s scenic train operations saw revenue jump more than 600% in FY23.

Great Journeys New Zealand has restarted the Coastal Pacific train that runs along the South Island’s east coast.

KiwiRail has made four improvements to its track evaluation car (TEC) procedures to ensure further disruptions to its network are avoided.

Passenger numbers on the Te Huia train between Hamilton and Auckland hit a high in August despite major disruptions to the service in July.

KiwiRail’s TranzAlpine scenic train is putting on a special journey to commemorate the 100th anniversary of a crucial tunnel link between the West Coast and the South Island.

KiwiRail and Waikato Regional Council will mark Te Huia’s return to central Auckland with free tickets for a week.

The Waikato Chamber of Commerce has asked WorkSafe to investigate the reasons why Waka Kotahi has banned the Te Huia passenger train from entering Auckland’s metro rail network.

The Te Huia passenger train between Hamilton and Auckland has been banned from entering the city’s metro network, and will instead stop at Papakura rather than its usual termination point at The Strand in Parnell.

A new memorial at Ongarue in the Manawatu district has been unveiled to mark 100 years since the derailment of a train that killed 17 people and seriously injured 28 others.

A passenger rail service between Auckland and Wellington could potentially undermine KiwiRail’s Northern Explorer scenic train, according to feedback in a report from the Transport and Infrastructure Committee.

KiwiRail plans to sell its Valentine ferry to free up funding and crew for further passenger and freight ferries.

KiwiRail’s Great Journeys New Zealand has added new rail-based tourism packages to its TranzAlpine experience to encourage visitors to explore the West Coast.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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 .

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

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.

KiwiRail has undertaken safety reviews and made improvements to its shunting and coupling processes for transferring rail wagons to ferries, following a Transport Accident Investigation Commission inquiry.

KiwiRail is getting a new system that will enable its train control team to manage the rail network simultaneously from Auckland and Wellington.

Interislander has reportedly paid €5.2m (NZ$8.6m) for the purchase of the Valentine freighter ferry to ensure capacity for customers as it prepares for the pre-Christmas demand.

The Interislander’s Kaiarahi ferry is back on the water for sea trials after a major gearbox failure took it out of service in August 2021.

The new tours range from six to 17 days with the longest stretching from Auckland to Queenstown.

The Interislander is celebrating its 60th anniversary this week and marking more than 43 million passenger trips since its first sailing from Wellington to Picton on 13 August 1962.

KiwiRail has partnered with TrackSAFE to raise awareness and encourage responsible behaviour around crossings during Rail Safety Week.

An upcoming project to rebuild the Picton ferry terminal has been celebrated with a public information day, held on Saturday.

KiwiRail’s first refurbished electric EF class locomotive has been completed as part of a progressive fleet refurbishment and return to service over the next two years.

Sebastien Delteil starts today as KiwiRail’s new head of sales at The Great Journeys of New Zealand.

KiwiRail and Auckland Transport have named the three new stations to be built along the South Auckland rail network between Papakura and Pukekohe.

Budget 2022 has allocated $661.5m for rail, including $312.3m to restore the national rail network and $349.2m to continue KiwiRail’s fleet modernisation.

Work is underway to provide real-time guidance on channel conditions through the Kura te Au/Tory Channel that links the North and South Islands.