Transport Safety Blog New Zealand
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OETT Proposes Joint Operation of Taieri Gorge Railway with GVR
Otago Excursion Train Trust has proposed a joint operation with Glenbrook Vintage Railway to operate Dunedin Railways. Currently, Dunedin Railways is operated on behalf of its sole shareholder, Dunedin City Holdings Ltd, which in turn is owned by Dunedin City Council. OETT was a founding shareholder of Dunedin Railways (then called Taieri Gorge Railway Ltd,…
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HSC ALBAYZIN 1994-2023 (Cook Strait Ferry 1994-1995)
HSC Albayzin was the class leader of the “Mestral” class high speed monohull ferries, commenced in 1993 for Compañía Trasmediterránea at Empresa Nacional Bazán shipyard in San Fernando (Cadiz). During construction the ownership changed to Los Cipreses SA of Argentina, trading as Buquebus operating ferry services between Argentina and Uruguay. There were three Mestral class…
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What Happened To Christchurch’s Commuter Trains (Part 1)
On 30 April 1976, the last remaining commuter train service in North Canterbury, the Christchurch to Rangiora workers’ train service, closed down. Since that time there have been no commuter train services operated in the Christchurch area. The commuter trains in Canterbury, which at one point included New Zealand’s first electric train passenger network, were…
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Kiwirail Needs Better Approach To Nuisance Alarm Activations
On Friday 21 July, a car was hit by a Wairarapa Connection commuter train at the Norfolk Road, Waingawa level crossing. This incident appears to be one of a number of problems that have occurred in relation to the railway crossings at Waingawa, a great deal of these problems being due to poor design and…
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Wairarapa Level Crossing Upgrades Information Received
TSBNZ has received a release of information from Kiwirail in respect of Level Crossing Safety Impact Assessment (LCSIA) documents for part of the area impacted by the current Wairarapa Line level crossing upgrades programme. At the present time the information released to date covers only Carterton District and Masterton District. South Wairarapa District relevant information…
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Gisborne Line Saga Dates Back 40 Years
The debate over the viability and future of the Gisborne Line is not new and dates back 40 years. Having that knowledge will aid considerably in understanding the relevance and context of ongoing discussion over the railway between Napier and Gisborne. The Napier Gisborne Line (part of the Palmerston North Gisborne Line) opened in 1942.…
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Level Crossing Safety Analysis: Judds Road Crossing, Masterton
Due to the Wairarapa Level Crossing Upgrade Programme being conducted by Kiwirail, some level crossings in the Wairarapa District must be closed. One of those proposed for closure is at Judds Road in Masterton. There are two key safety issues to be addressed at Judds Road Level Crossing and others like it. Using the above…
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Level Crossing Upgrade Programme For Wairarapa Line
Kiwirail and Waka Kotahi are working on a programme of level crossing upgrades in the Wairarapa at the present time. At the time of writing this post some difficulty was experienced in determining actually which Government policy announcement covers the level crossing upgrade programme but it appears to date from the announcement of the Wellington…
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Significant Level Crossing Safety Risks At Waingawa Logging Hub / Waingawa Industrial Park
Waingawa is a station at 85 km on the Wairarapa Line, 9 km north of Carterton and within Carterton District. The site was formerly known for the Waingawa Freezing Works, which had its own industrial sidings. There was a platform and station building for passenger use. It is likely that this would have included some…