Ferry loading safety part of $80m revamp

Urgent safety concerns at the Wellington and Picton interislander ferry terminals will be fixed as part of a five-year, $80.2 million KiwiRail upgrade rubber-stamped by Cabinet.

It is understood that staff working at the ferry marshalling yards have expressed concerns about passengers and workers walking between cars and trucks as they load and unload. There have been several near-misses at both terminals.

A KiwiRail spokesman would not comment on the issue yesterday.

More than $1 million will be spent to improve the Wellington marshalling yards, with about $900,000 set aside for Picton.

The cash injection, which follows the Government's controversial buyback of the railways this month, also includes more than $1 million to improve diesel electric locomotives running on Wellington's metro lines.

Four reinstated locomotives will be added to the Wellington-Masterton line, and two to the Wellington- Paekakariki line.

However – other than new KiwiRail paint jobs – there is no money for much-needed improvements to trains on the Kapiti lines that have often been running without heaters this winter because of breakdowns.

"A significant investment is required just to keep some existing services running," Finance Minister Michael Cullen said. "The $80 million investment is our first step."

The upgrade – which was not appropriated in the Budget and will be funded from debt – will also include locomotive upgrades in Auckland, the recommissioning of two electric freight locomotives in Wellington, and an overhaul of the Tranz Scenic service.

The spending is additional to $440 million to be spent by OnTrack – also owned by the Government – to upgrade rail tracks.

The Government paid Toll Holdings $690 million for the rolling stock and passenger rail ferry service, plus leases on two other ferries and 1200 staff. It also took on a further $140 million of Toll's debt.

Mr Cullen had also signalled a further $380 million long-term "reinvestment package" that would include the purchase of new locomotives.

The $80 million investment includes funding to evaluate whether KiwiRail can assemble locomotives at the Woburn rail workshops, with contributions from Hillside in Dunedin and other engineering works.

Yesterday Lower Hutt Mayor David Ogden welcomed the study into the viability of assembling locomotives at the Hutt workshops. "This is good news, which if it comes to fruition would have positive economic spinoffs for the city. The workshops are an under-utilised asset."

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Green   #1   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

How about putting some money towards filters of somekind to reduce the amout of putrid fumes that billow out? It's disgusting.

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