KiwiRail stories
Aucklanders will get faster, more frequent trains from 13 September, after billboards leaked the $5.5 billion rail link's opening date early.
After years of disruption, passengers will gain quicker journeys and better city access when the underground rail link begins service on 13 September.
The state-owned rail operator will keep control of the crucial Cook Strait freight link, with taxpayer support for the scheme capped at GBP £0.8 billion.
A flood-scoured pier collapse left the Main South Line exposed because bridge-specific controls were missing and general procedures proved inadequate.
A year’s reprieve gives the Hamilton–Auckland train until 2027 to lift patronage, or risk losing its funding once the trial ends.
Rail’s economic case is growing, but deferred upgrades and an ageing workforce threaten reliable services and future freight gains.
Commuter and freight reliability in Auckland and Wellington is being prioritised as KiwiRail trims spending by USD $200 million over three years.
Passengers on the Manawatū and Wairarapa lines will see services doubled from 2030 as Greater Wellington orders 18 battery-electric trains.
Secondary rail lines across New Zealand face slower maintenance and more speed restrictions under KiwiRail’s latest plan, alarming South Island operators.
A lack of disclosure on New Zealand’s big projects is obscuring costs, designs and accountability, critics say, as billions are spent in secret.
The derailment exposed gaps in KiwiRail's flood-response planning and training after 11 wagons came off the track near Te Puke in 2023.
KiwiRail says the Budget 2024 top-up will ease maintenance backlogs and improve reliability for commuters and freight customers across New Zealand.
Patronage is rising and subsidy dependence is easing, bolstering the case for keeping the Auckland-Hamilton service running beyond its trial.
The hub is expected to take 40,000 truck movements a year off Mid Canterbury roads and cut freight emissions by 70%.
A fixed link could cut the crossing to 40 minutes, but a Cook Strait tunnel would cost about NZD $50 billion and stretch funding to breaking point.
Hourly Auckland-Hamilton rail could be built for the cost of one highway project, the commentator says, with freight also benefiting.
Rail freight between New Zealand's islands faces fresh strain after the Government scrapped the Interisland Project IREX, alarming exporters and ports.
TAIC says the near miss exposed gaps in KiwiRail procedures, after a bus crossed 12 metres ahead of a locomotive in Christchurch.
The new Hamilton facility could cut cargo costs by up to 30% and shift Upper North Island freight off roads and onto rail.
Passengers heading into Auckland now face a Papakura transfer after Te Huia was barred from the electrified network following two red-signal incidents.
