from International Rail Journal
Infrastructure investment and new train fleet for Wairarapa and Kapiti lines
A commuter train in the siding just north of Waikanae station. (Shutterstock/Brave Behind the Lenz pic)
TRANSPORT minister Simeon Brown has announced an $NZ 800m ($US 469.45m) investment package for the Wairarapa and Kapiti commuter lines serving New Zealand’s capital Wellington on the North Island.
Infrastructure upgrades to support the introduction of a new train fleet will include work to remove temporary speed restrictions and raise the maximum speed from 90km/h to 110km/h, enabling the service frequency to be increased.
On the Wairarapa Line between Wellington and Masterton, national railway KiwiRail will build a second platform at Maymorn, and upgrade platforms at Upper Hutt. Platforms will also be upgraded at Waikanae, the northern terminus of the Kapiti Line from Wellington.
Three stabling facilities will be built for the new trains that will replace rolling stock that was introduced in the 1970s and is now nearing the end of its working life.
The previous Labour government announced in May 2023 that it would be funding the procurement of 18 four-car tri-mode commuter trains for the Kapiti and Wairarapa lines, as part of the Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility (LNIRIM) project.
The new fleet was planned to combine diesel-electric traction with batteries and the overhead 1.5kV dc supply.
With procurement now underway, Brown says that all traction types will be considered.
“The regional council’s preference is very clearly for hybrid trains,” he says, “and that is certainly part of the mix, but at the end of the day, value for money is critically important when it comes to every single dollar invested in transport infrastructure.”
According to Brown, procurement will take “a no-frills approach that delivers real benefits for commuters.”
“The three companies that we have shortlisted for a closed tender process are all companies that currently provide the types of trains that we have in mind,” says Mr Daran Ponter, chair of the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
The new fleet is expected to be delivered by the end of 2028, enabling service frequencies on the Wairarapa and Kapiti lines to be increased from 2029.
Maybe the people who use the trains should actually bare the cost instead of slugging those that dont use them.
You may find that the trains help alleviate congestion when you’re using your car on the roads.