Parts of Auckland’s rail network have not been properly upgraded since the 1940s, KiwiRail bosses have told MPs today.
KiwiRail’s senior managers appeared at a Parliament Select Committee this morning, after a week of frustrating delays for Auckland train commuters.
Train services were delayed amid high temperatures in Auckland earlier this week, with temporary speed restrictions introduced as sections of rail reached 40 degrees.
Rail passengers in Auckland have faced cancellations or delays almost every week day since services resumed to Britomart Station on January 22.
KiwiRail chairman David McLean said this week’s problems showed how under-investment in the network affected passengers.
He told MPs on the committee that parts of the Auckland lines had not been upgraded since the 1940s.
He told 1News this applied to the foundations for the rail lines.
KiwiRail had a programme to upgrade the rail network, but told MPs that the funding model for the network was not fit for purpose.
McLean, along with KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy and asset development officer David Gordon, appeared.
They are also expected to face questions about the Interislander, after KiwiRail yesterday confirmed it had begun talks with South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo about terminating its contract for two new ferries.
KiwiRail had been planning to buy two larger Interislander ferries to replace its existing, ageing fleet.
But the new Government declined to fund the project in December, saying there were concerns about cost blowouts. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the Government wanted a safe Cook Strait connection, but costs for the project had almost quadrupled to about $3 billion since 2018.
The existing ferries are more than 20 years old and ferry passengers faced a string of delays last year, with the Kaitaki losing power in Cook Strait during one incident.
KiwiRail said the ferries had operated well over the summer, with a 93 per cent on-time performance.
SHARE ME