KiwiRail

KiwiRail's Carl Mills talks us through establishing the new control centre in Auckland, which will provide a national backup, allow for testing and training, and operate signalling, power controls and more.

Congratulations to #KiwiRail Traction Electrician Marciano Rosin, who won the first Traction Line Mechanic Trainee of the Year Award at the Connexis Excellence Awards last week.     The Connexis Excellence Awards celebrate the best and brightest trainees working in the industry along with those who have made significant contributions through their enthusiasm and commitment to industry training.    This is a great result for the Auckland team after one of the team also won the top Apprentice of the Year award earlier this month.     Talent Development Manager Lee Pennock says “It’s the first time we’ve been involved in the awards since we built the NZQA Traction Line qualification. The awards give traction roles great exposure in the electricity supply industry”. #ConnexisExcellenceAwards

Our new curtainsider containers, designed by our in-house team, feature flora and fauna found in the regions the rail corridor passes through.    Twenty different designs were created by our in-house team as a reminder of the environmental benefits of rail, where every tonne of freight moved delivers a 70 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared with the same freight carried by road.    In the last financial year, rail freight saved 1 million truck trips, 85 million litres of fuel and 229,000 CO2-e tonnes of emissions.    The single biggest source of KiwiRail’s emissions is diesel for our locomotives. Our new battery shunts, refurbished electric locos and the new more efficient diesel locos that are arriving all support our decarbonisation goals - and those of our customers.   The 25-foot containers, loaded onto our 50-foot wagons, were Crown-funded to replace our aged box wagons.

The first two of our DM class locomotives have just arrived in New Zealand. This marks an important milestone for the future of our fleet. Built by Stadler in Spain, these dual-cab locomotives are state-of-the art, fuel efficient and meet EU world-leading emissions standards. Funded from a Government investment to replace KiwiRail’s aging rolling stock, they will replace our South Island DX freight fleet, which has an average age of 50. Some of the new locomotives will be used in the North Island. These first two DMs are prototypes and will now undergo about six months of testing and commissioning at our Middleton depot before they enter service.

How is KiwiRail delivering as an integrated transport partner for New Zealand?    This morning, Chief Executive Peter Reidy gave our answer to that question to hundreds of delegates at the opening of this year's New Zealand Rail Conference in Auckland.    As Peter told the industry, KiwiRail has a critical role to play in delivering sustainable and inclusive growth for our customers, our communities and our people.     However, he acknowledged we are facing some major challenges right now, telling the audience New Zealand Rail has overcome challenges for over 150 years, and we will unite to overcome the challenges facing us today. Thank you to all the KiwiRail team members who are speakers, workshop stream hosts, panel members and keen delegates at the conference today. #NewZealandRailConference2024 #NZRail #railconference

💫 Great Journeys New Zealand | KiwiRail has won three Best Design Awards for the branding on their new Scenic Plus carriages. The new carriages were intentionally designed to offer a premium atmosphere that would attract visitors to New Zealand’s shores and regions. To enable this, the team understood the importance of creating a world-class and distinctly New Zealand design for the carriages.  This week a new Scenic Plus signature carriage with the award-winning branding was added to the Coastal Pacific Scenic train, with the final signature carriage set to launch on the Northern Explorer at the end of this year.  #BestDesignAwards #ScenicPlus #GreatJourneys #scenictrains #sustainabletourism

Meet Hao Ding, a testing and commissioning engineer for City Rail Link Ltd.

Ever wondered how traction power and overhead line equipment (OHLE) work? Check out this post!

The fourth Roy Sullivan KiwiRail Apprentice of the Year Awards was held in Auckland at the beginning of October. The awards recognise excellence in KiwiRail apprentices and highlight their value within our organisation. The event celebrated two outstanding apprentices: ✨ Hennie Venter, a Traction Line Mechanic from #Auckland, who won the top award, and ✨ Linda Hovenden, a trainee Locomotive Engineer from #Christchurch, who received the Highly Commended award. Hennie dedicated the award to his late father, Greg Venter, who also worked in rail, both in South Africa and for KiwiRail in New Zealand.   Linda has been with KiwiRail for just over a year and she’s already made an impact with her professionalism, positivity, and quick understanding of rules and regulations. The awards commemorate Roy Sullivan, a former general manager who was passionate about apprenticeship training.   🎉 Congratulations to all our apprentices for their hard work and commitment. Their contributions are vital to the success of KiwiRail.

📹 Check out this video from our friends at City Rail Link Ltd, explaining the next phase of the CRL project.