Rail transport in New Zealand

The rail transport in New Zealand is a 4,000 -kilometer route network in Cape gauge available, connecting most major cities of the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand. The railway is mainly for freight transport, passenger transport plays only in the urban areas of Auckland and Wellington an important role. In a few main routes long-distance transport for tourists is offered. Beginning of May 2008 it was announced that the rail privatization has failed and the government (including the ferry services between North and South Island ) for NZ $ 665 million to buy back the web ( 336 million EUR ) as of July 1.

• 2.1 freight Transport
• 2.2 Long-distance passenger traffic
• 2.3 suburban passenger
• 2.4 Traditions-/Museumsbetrieb and special transport

• 3.1 Starting in the provinces
• 3.2 Acquisition of oversight by the central government
• 3.3 Conversion into a company and privatization
• 3.4 Re- nationalization of the railway network
• 3.5 accidents

Railway infrastructure

Owner and operator

Since 2003, the New Zealand rail network is back in state hands. The government transferred after the surrender of the network of Tranz Rail, the entire route network of the Ontrack Infrastructure Limited founded by the New Zealand Railways Corporation. Ontrack has been responsible for the development, expansion and maintenance of the New Zealand rail network.

Operation of the railway is operated by state and private companies. The largest railway company is Kiwi Rail, part of the State New Zealand Railways Corporation. It emerged in 2008 from the nationalization of the railway operations. In addition, Veolia operates (formerly Connex ), the suburban and city traffic in Auckland.

As part of an extensive privatization in New Zealand took place in 1993, the privatization of the New Zealand rail network, including all the rolling stock to the company Tranz Rail. After several years of capacity reduction, procrastination of the necessary maintenance works as well as obstruction of activities of competitors in terms of access to the rail network infrastructure for 1 NZ $ was again sold back to the state in 2004 with the introduction of the Australian Toll Holdings and the Company in Toll Rail renamed.

Track systems

The New Zealand rail network has a length of 3,898 kilometers, of which about 500 km electrified. Also known as Cape gauge narrow gauge track gauge of 1067 mm was chosen in order to traverse the mountainous terrain better through better adaptation of the railway track can.

The difficult terrain has the realization of numerous technical feats have required, for example the famous Raurimu spiral, a double reverse loop with a circular bend. Around 1,787 bridges and 150 tunnels were built in total. The network reached in 1952 with a total of around 5,700 kilometers in length, its greatest extent.

On the network, extensive corrections were made ​​of different occasions. The most important work concerned the case on June 19, opened in 1937, Tawa deviation ( Tawa abbreviation) in Wellington, Rimutaka the shortcut through the Rimutaka Range, which was from November 3, 1955 crossed by a new tunnel and the Kaimai - shortcut through the Kaimai Ranges to the Bay of Plenty on 12 September 1978. All these changes were usually associated with extensive tunnel excavations, the latter two each with about eight kilometers in length.

Significant infrastructure improvements have been realized in the mid-1980s, also along the main line of the North Island, some sections have been doing even electrified. After several decades of neglect is also investing since the 2000s again substantially in the Auckland's suburban network, with double track improvements and various improvements to plants.

Traction types

Until the 1950s, steam locomotives were the backbone of the operation happening on most routes. There have been three sections with 1.5 kV DC electrification ( Wellington suburban services as well as on the South Island Christchurch - Lyttelton and Arthur 's Pass - Otira ), of which, however, nowadays only the space around Wellington is electrified. The Verdieselung of travel began in the late 1940s with Rangiermaschinen, the first main line locomotive, the DF series was introduced in 1954. To 1967 ended on the North Island of steam locomotive used on the South Island, this was done until 1971. Since 1983, there are a small number of privately owned befindlicher steam and diesel locomotives inserts special trains as well as museum railways. In 1988, the electrification of the North Iceland Main Trunk Railway was completed ( main line of the North Island ) between Palmerston North and Hamilton with 25 kV AC.

Currently (2009) the Auckländer suburban network for its electrification is being prepared. Although a port that is not available to the electrified network up towards Hamilton in prospect, the remaining gap to the south will be relatively small.

Railway operation

Freight traffic

The transportation of goods is carried out by the railway companies Kiwi Rail. The freight makes the overwhelming majority of the transports from the routes, generally a restriction on goods which are transported in containers or on pallets takes place. The major freight volumes are coal, limestone, steel, wood, paper packing, milk, vehicles, fertilizer, grain and container. Freight transport is organized mainly on the export sector to the port centers. The coal pendulum on the Midland Line for example consists of two locomotives of the DX series and 30 coal - Selbstentladewagen with a total capacity of 1,600 tons of cargo volume.

After Tranz Rail had been accused to shift more and more freight from rail to road, a lower limit for cargo tonnage was set by the government at below which Toll its monopoly rights for the freight routes loses.

In 2002 Tranz Rail introduced a very controversial system, which provided that most of the cargo is carried in containers on flat cars in corresponding trains. Containerverladeanlagen were then built on the major rail yards. The transport volume has reached end of 2005, a level that corresponds to the circumference of before 1983, when the railroad was still a state monopoly. After the deregulation in 1982 was an extensive rationalization of freight equipment, many smaller stations and stations were closed and goods services were accelerated as a whole.

Long-distance passenger

Long-distance passenger service is operated by Kiwi Rail Scenic Journeys, a division of Toll. In the heyday of passenger rail transport in New Zealand in the 1950s and 1960s, most of the regional routes had a passenger with railcars and lokgeführten trains. End of 2006, only four rail networks were operated in the New Zealand passenger transport:

• The Overlander between Auckland and Wellington
• The Capital Connection between Wellington and Palmerston North
• The Coastal Pacific between Picton and Christchurch
• The TranzAlpine between Christchurch and Greymouth

Other major routes were discontinued in recent years:

• 2001: The connection to Tauranga, Rotorua and Napier on the North Island
• 2002: The Southerner between Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill
• 2004: The Northerner night train service between Auckland and Wellington

The remaining compounds TranzCoastal on the northern part of South Iceland Main Trunk Railway (along the east coast of the South Island ) and TranzAlpine on the Midland Line, crossing the Southern Alps are among the most spectacular railway lines of the earth. Despite the growing importance of tourism and marketing but also their long- term investor currently not sure. The main problem is likely to represent the outdated rolling stock that the origin is from the forties and has since each overhauled only according to the needs.

Suburban passenger

Kiwi Rail operates with his division Tranz Metro and the suburban passenger services in the Wellington region. It will be operated five lines, all of which are electrified except for the section between Upper Hutt and Masterton. Tranz Metro uses trains and railcars pulled by diesel locomotives trains on non-electrified track. In the 1930s Wellington was the second city has got to Christchurch an electrical Vorortzugsystem - today it is therefore the only city in New Zealand and for this reason the best Nahverkehrszugsystem.

Over several years, the Tranz Metro also operate the suburban passenger trains in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Mid-2004 won Connex, now Veolia New Zealand, the new advertised traffic contract with Tranz Metro for it gave no commandment. There are four lines to travel on the Southern Line, the Eastern Line, Western Line and since the end of 2010, the Onehunga Line. All routes are driven by diesel railcar units or with dieselllokgeführten trains. There are plans to expand the route network through the construction of new routes and to electrify the existing routes in order to improve the quality of the transport system. First steps have already been initiated with the construction of the station Britomart Transport Centre on Queen Street right in downtown Auckland.

Traditions-/Museumsbetrieb and special transport

Four traditional train - or Museumszugbetreiber, the Railway Enthusiasts Society, the Steam Incorporated, the Mainline Steam Association and the Otago Excursion Train Trust Association are the owners and operators of their own cars and certified for mainline steam or diesel locomotive fleet. These groups operate since 1978 a special outing and special travel program on the national route network, they are allowed since 1983 to transport with suitable locomotives, these trains. A small number of additional categories of railway enthusiasts have overtaken their own locomotives and insert it with other available museum vehicles and cars from the regular operation of the park.

History

Start in the provinces

The railway network of New Zealand was initially driven by the provinces of New Zealand, a political division of the country 1841-1876 that are passed into the current structure of the regions of New Zealand, from 1863. New Zealand's first public railway was opened this year in the province of Canterbury with the Ferrymead Railway between Ferrymead and Christchurch.

The first railway in New Zealand at all, but only served to Erztransporten, was opened in 1861 to transport the recovered chrome ore from the deposit at the Dun Mountain to the port of the city Nelson can.

The Canterbury Provincial Railways were ' built (3. " On February 5, 1867, in the former province of Southland, the distance between Invercargill and Bluff in international standard gauge of 1,435 mm (4 1867-1876 in a track width of 1,600 mm 5 ) ' 8.5 " ) opens. In this state, the central government changed the rules and determined the application of the gauge of 1067 mm (3 ' 6 ") ( Cape gauge ) as binding national gauge. The first narrow gauge railway in the country was on 1 January 1873 in the province of Otago, the Port Chalmers Branch, which was operated by the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway Company Limited.

Acquisition of oversight by the central government

As a result of the abolition of the provinces in 1876, the railway lines were placed under the supervision of the central government, first under the management of the New Zealand Department of Public Works, from 1880 under the responsibility of the New Zealand Railways Department. A few Railroads were built under private management, but only the Wellington and Manawatu Railway, which was nationalized in 1908, reached a recognizable success.

At the time of its greatest expansion in the 1950s pointed to the route network of the New Zealand Railways operated more than 100 lines. In the 1960s and 1970s, much of the routes was closed. The network was initially well protected from direct competition from road transport, but during the 20th century, this protection was gradually reduced until its complete abolition in 1983.

The route network of the North Island of New Zealand and the South Island of New Zealand are independent, and only through the connection with the roll-on roll-off ferry service between Wellington and Picton since 1962 contact with each other.

Transformation into a company and privatization

The longest time in its history was the New Zealand Railways, a state-owned enterprise, which was led by the Ministry of Railways with the Minister of Railways as a member of the New Zealand Government.

In 1982, the transformation of the state-owned company in a business enterprise that has been oriented as a new legal entity as the New Zealand Railways Corporation to generate profit was. In 1990, the transfer of the core business operation of the railway in the New Zealand Rail Limited, a still state-owned companies, while not designated as core business areas in the New Zealand Railways Corporation remained. New Zealand Rail Limited was sold in 1993 for 400 million NZ $ ( 202 million EUR ), the new owner of the railway company then changed its name in 1995 Tranz Rail.

During the period of private ownership of the network by Tranz Rail, the company was accused several times to operate the shift from rail transport on their own trucks. The company was accused to force through lack of maintenance of the routes the attitude of some routes. The Midland Line was certified in 2003 by the security authority of the Government, the Land Transport New Zealand that it was more at risk instead of a safe operating condition and needs major repairs. One of the most frequently named reasons for this policy was that funding, which stood for road transport available, were not available for railway operators.

Tranz Rail was also accused of making the Museumszugbetreibern to reasonable access to the rail network so uneconomical as possible with a shortage of opportunities to access resources and decrease their high prices for the track utilization. Recently, the tradition associations but have to contend with an increase in the bureaucratic requirements in the areas of safety certificates as well as problems with the giving of appropriate liability insurance.

Re- nationalization of the railway network

The New Zealand government took back in 2002, the suburban and city rail network from Auckland for NZ $ 81 million of Tranz Rail. Tranz Rail kept the paths for freight trains, while the Auckland Regional Council was transferred to the commuter traffic suburban and urban train network responsible for the tendering of routes. The responsibility for stations and stations of Auckland that do not already belong to the city council, were a newly created company, transferred owned by the territorial administration Auckland Regional Transport Network Limited. 2004 in rail transport performance were reassigned after a competitive tender.

In 2002, the share value of Tranz Rail reached a historic low due to the financial situation of the company. The government then examined various scenarios in order to regain access to the railway infrastructure. The main reasons for these considerations were, again to shift more freight from the road to rail and ensure access to the rail network for other interested parties.

The Toll Holdings of Australia could take over with a successful bid for Tranz Rail, the company, part of the contract was that the railway infrastructure for NZ $ 1 was sold to the government. The government has since invested around 200 million NZ $ control agent in previously deferred maintenance activities as well as in the recapitalization of the New Zealand Railways Corporation. The rail infrastructure company operated under the name Ontrack, while the railway company was called Toll Rail.

As the New Zealand government on the one hand and Toll Rail on the other side could not agree on fees for the nationalized railway system and the state has had to pay millions in New Zealand dollars for the maintenance year after year, the government decided in 2008 to railway operations Toll Rail for 665 million NZ $ ( 336 million EUR ) to buy back on July 1. The New Zealand Finance Minister Michael Cullen said: "The sale of state-owned railway in the early 90s and then following the decline of the assets was a painful lesson for New Zealand ".

Accidents

New Zealand's heaviest railway accident occurred on Christmas Eve 1953, wegschwämmte during the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, as a lahar, a volcanic mudflow, a bridge at Tangiwai. 151 people lost their lives in the disaster, as the Wellington - Auckland express shortly after the collapse of the bridge reached the spot and rushed into the sludge stream. Many of the victims were never found.

The accident surpassing the impact of the train accident in Hyde, which with 21 deaths urged to today 's second highest number of people living in June 1943.

Workshops

Conventionally, a number of large workshops was cross operated by the country through the New Zealand Ministry of Railways. The main workshops are Addington Workshops in Christchurch ( closed in 1990 ), Hillside Engineering in Dunedin ( about Kiwi Rail) and Hutt workshops in Lower Hutt ( one of Alstom ).

Historic and museum railways

Over 60 different groups now operate in New Zealand tradition stretching or museums. Almost all are members of the Association of railway organizations of New Zealand, organized in addition to the railways and tramways and forest tracks. A big boost was the preservation of heritage railways in New Zealand in the 1960s, as many steam locomotives taken out of service and routes were shut down.

Railway museums in New Zealand usually focus on the conservation and presentation of the rolling material for a short distance with an average of one kilometer or more, operating on the trains. This includes most of the historic railway groups. A smaller part operates routes and runs historical trains on these, usually disused sections of the former national route network. Typically, these routes are longer, about 5 km or more, most of the activities shall do so more on the driving instead of the Storage and presentation.

Current holdings of the type of historical railways are the Glenbrook Vintage Railway, the Bush Tramway Club, the Waitara Railway Preservation Society, the Weka Pass Railway, the Taieri Gorge Railway and the Goldfield Railway. The Taieri Gorge Railway, which is operated by a company of the local administration of the Dunedin City Council, includes 60 kilometers the longest distance and is today the most ambitious project of its kind all other routes are operated by volunteers in associations. The Weka Pass Railway, the longest stretch of this form with 13 kilometers. The Bay of Iceland Vintage Railway with around 11 kilometers in length, is currently due to lack of funds since 2002 unused.