A bit of De Ja Vu NZ Government announce decision to replace Cook Strait Rail Ferries again!

[Mayner]

The Ferries with their 3 1/2  hour crossing are effectively the backbone of New Zealand's SH1  road and Trunk rail system linking . The 6th Labour Government which included Winston Peters (a very canny politician & pro-rail) party NZ First as a coalition partner approved the replacement of the existing ferries with new larger ferries in 2021. Like CIEs late 1940s order for twin engined Sulzer 'express locos' Kiwirail was forced to cancel the order for the new ships following a change of Government in late 2021. The new 6th National Government a coalition of center right National, NZ First and libretarian ACT struggled to decide on whether to replace the ferries with road only or combined road and rail until Winston insisted that the ferries had to be rail capable or possibly withdraw his support for the Government. National is best described as agnostic when it comes to spending public money on rail, ACT would consider it a waste of public money.

Interestingly the Labour leader later claimed that Winston had signed off on the original project while in coalition with Labour in 2019. 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360635225/cook-strait-ferries-saga-explained

Original project costs had blown out over port works at Picton and Wellington where the existing ferry terminal requires replacement due to high risk in the event of a severe earthquake built on port & city formed as a result of an earthquake.

Interestingly the rail decks on the new ferries are to be designed to accommodate 40-60' wagons or 120TEU same capacity as the cancelled order so same rail capacity as the cancelled 2021 order.

Although the project is likely to over run and Government likely to end up as a price taker, the new ferries potentially secure the future of the 336km line  south from Picton to Christchurch which was severely damaged but reinstated following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake

While there is talk about saving the taxpayer billions, Kiwirail have had to pay a cancellation fee to Mitsui the Korean shipyard that apparently had started work on the two new ferries, the Government have not disclosed the projected project cost for the replacement ferries and port works, claiming it to be commercially sensitive, though more likely Ferry Holdings a Company established earlier this year to procure the ships and manage the project has is only at the project scoping and preliminary costing stage.

The whole saga is not unlike the Mary Harney's as Transport Minister in the newly elected FF government during the mid 1990s cancelling CIEs original Dublin Light Rail project despite EU funding approval apparently in response to concerns that the Light Rail System would add to city center traffic congestion and would be ineffective from a public transport perspective based on a projection that only 1% of Dublin area commuters would use the Light Rail System. More likely explanation was that it was seen as a FG Labour coalition project and the incoming Government did not want CIE with its history of poor industrial relations controlling the Dublin Light Rail system. The EU Dublin Light Rail funding was diverted to upgrading Maynooth suburban services, including the reinstatement of double track between Clonsilla and Maynooth, a new signalling system and station improvements. 

CIE still being in the dog house Light Rail Project staff were transferred to the Rail Procurement Agency although still working from Portacom in the Heuston Carpark, the Dublin Light Rail Project was re-christened LUAS and the operating contract was awarded to Connex and a non-strike agreement agreed with the Unions representing LUAS staff. 

In the end the LUAS project was 100% funded by the Irish Government although 10 years earlier the project was promoted as an EU funded project a benefit of Ireland joining the Single Market and closer European integration.

I guess the craftiest  politicians are those that focus on keeping in the news and getting elected.

 

 

Edited April 8 by Mayner