Government is dangerously slow in restoring NZ regional rail freight
This month in February 2019 again we saw National opposition accusing Government for not funding more money for new
roads for truck freight, using NZTA support for truck freight, while Ministry of Transport (our real transport agency)
has opposing policies to use ‘all modal freight rail/road/sea options’ meanwhile our current state of our efforts to
restore the Napier rail line’ to Wairoa ( and later to Gisborne is stalled.)
Facts;
HB section of rail maintenance/upgrades deserves more than a paltry $5 million from Shane Jones RGF for all the HB rail
Networks of our rail system that reaches over 350 kms to the south border of Manawatu at Woodville.
Especially when we saw Government (past and present) shell out ‘multi millions’ on other regions such as shown on this
list;
1/ Matawatu rail – in December 2018 Shane Jones announces $40 million for a rail freight inland port in Palmerston
North.
2/ North Port rail. August 2018. Over 450 Million dollars for rail connection.
2/ Wairarapa rail - in October 2018 43 Million for restoring the line from Masterton to Wellington.
3/ Kaikoura main south rail – PM Jacinda Ardern announces a $40 Million dollar upgrade to tourism/rolling
stock/services.
5/ Midland rail Otago $15 million for a limited length of track damaged with bridges in a scrub fire in 2016.
6/ Kaikoura rail south from Picton to Christchurch. $900 million and still more to come.
7/ (The lowest financial contribution given to any province) HB $5 million to repair the Wairoa line (prior to the
latest slip at Raupunga caused by a storm in July 2018.
Your government followed blindly behind the last Government ‘National’ after the wellington earthquake that closed the
port of wellington freight terminals, and chose to trucking all “Port of Wellington freight to Port of Napier by road.
Government owes the people of HB/Gisborne both export Port regions, a ‘carriage of care and funding mitigation’ because
of the increased truck freight impacts and environmental effects placed on our residential communities in HB/Gisborne.
Under the RMA dangerous impacts are now caused by the Government re-routing ‘road freight handling around our NZ ports’
is adversely affecting thousands of residents in these other regions like Napier and Gisborne when Government is sending
the Wellington Port freight by road freighted to Port of Napier.
This issue needs to be ‘mitigated’ to the satisfaction of those affected residents,
with noise barriers
residential lower speed levels
with signs warning to drive slow to respect the residential communities,
speed cameras to “calm traffic in residential
noise sensitive zones signs
and smoother road surfacing to lower both noise and tyre dust road pollution measures
all must be given to all Napier residents now facing truck 24/7 freight to Port of Napier.
Mandatory fitting of “Donaldson ‘silent partner’ Muffler systems (many other countries make it mandatory for heavy
transport to have if operating through residential regions) such as Napier is.
https://www.ryderfleetproducts.com/donaldson-m101181/5-muffler-silent-partner-p-w26-m101181
Tree belts and earth berms where possible.
This Government ‘inherited’ scheme of using road freight moves is now heavily impacting on our communities here in
Napier from Wellington, since it is now causing us massive truck gridlock on our roading, causing road damages costing
massive road cost repairs.
Labour bought our rail back into public ownership in 2008 and now in Government again rail urgently needs to be repaired
to ‘take that freight off the roads’ in line with Government’s stated goal of lowering the transport climate change
emissions that the current kiwi rail manager in the article said rail will achieve.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3=12174329
Quote; KiwiRail chief operations officer Henare Clarke "Taking logs to the port (of Napier) by rail will reduce carbon
emissions, take trucks off the road and provide an efficient service for forestry owners."
HB and Gisborne need better government financial investment in rail as other regions are now receiving so why do the
people of HB/Gisborne fell ‘disowned’ by the new “inclusive Labour/NZF Government?
The facts show now clearly that ‘a low investment in rail infrastructure’ is on show here from your government and is
clearly the reason for our regions on the east coast of NZ are feeling abandoned.
We ask Government to return rail freight and passenger services to our HB/Gisborne regions and invest in rail not more
truck roading.
Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon sent an email to Kiwi rail on June 15TH 2018 asking them to restore rail services to Gisborne
and we are still waiting for Government to act, hence we ask for both the Minister of Transport and Regional Development
Minister to contact us by email and arrange to meet us about this issue.
ends