Category: Local Governance
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Government Announces New Trains For Lower North Island
An article in Stuff’s Wellington newspaper, The Post, announced today that the government’s 2023 budget will including funding for 18 hybrid trains for the Kapiti and Wairarapa line services in the lower North Island. These trains run on the Wairarapa Line from Wellington to Masterton (excluding the Wellington commuter network) (The Wairarapa Connection services) and…
-
Auckland Light Rail Has Never Been About The Airport.
Newsroom has just published a pair of articles by Mike Lee, an Auckland Councillor of quite some longstanding. He was on the Council from 2010 to 2019 and was re-elected in the local government elections last year. Before that he was a member of the Auckland Regional Council from 1992 to 2010, the last six…