Rail Projects
Read : The Bolland Report on : 'Independant advice on the Economic Benefits of Rail Freight'
commissioned by the Ministry of Transport in April 2010 , came out in favour of rail but ,significantly -
this information was witheld under Section 9 (2)(b)(ii) of the Official Information Act
National's Policy Statement: "to help turn KiwiRail into a commercially viable business.to improve and electrify Auckland’s commuter rail system.
to upgrade Wellington’s commuter network. $1.6 billion$383 Million $750milllion Modernising rail"
KiwiRail's statement of Corporate Intent
And from KiwiRail's 'About' page:
"Many years of under-investment have reduced rail's competitiveness. Our challenge today is to improve the quality of our assets and services and to compete on even terms with other modes of transport while also cooperating with other players to create solutions for customers. The more successful we are in meeting this challenge, the greater the contribution we will make to the New Zealand economy."
No trains = no brains.
No rail = fail
OUR railways are part of our heritage and must be protected and developed as an assett for current and future generations.
Marsden Point Branch ( proposed)
Auckland CBD Link ( added 31st of May 2011 )
The Christchurch-Greymouth Line
from New Zealand Parliament
http://beehive.govt.nz/release/government-investment-rail-turnaround
Our current Minister of Transport Stephen Joyce is serving the interests of the NZ Road Transport Forum while choosing to ignore the data on anthropogenic climate change and a 2010 Parliamentary research paper warning that peak oil will continue to affect the affordability of fossil fuels and therefore the rationale of limiting our transport options to roads.
The Minister of Transport's intention also undermines the Ministry of Transport's own New Zealand Transport Strategy on Rail and documents such as the Northland District Council's 30 year transport strategy which states intentions such as : "Bulk freight moved from road-based to rail and coastal shipping" "Linking Northport to the national rail network."