The Government’s decision to end the twin track light rail process provides some clarity, but questions still remain about process, problem definition, outcomes and how now Auckland will meet its transport and housing needs After Government parties were unable to reach agreement on a preferred proposal for Auckland’s Light Rail, Cabinet has agreed to end the twin track Auckland Light Rail process and refer the project to the Ministry of Transport for further work.  Continue →

Global events company is reshaping the way we attend conferences   Terrapin is holding a 24-hour marathon conference on the future of rail with more than 50 specialist speakers from all corners of the earth. Continue →

The Government’s $1.2 billion rail investment in Budget 2020 will help KiwiRail attract more customers and get more freight on rail, says KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller Building on the Government’s $1 billion investment in Budget 2019, this second round of funding includes $400 million towards replacing the aging Interislander ferries and $421 million to continue the replacement programme for some of KiwiRail’s oldest locomotives. Continue →

Investment in transport is expected to invigorate development, and while there will be clear benefits for the property market, the work could also bring short-term disruption, labour shortages, construction cost increases and land speculation pressures Announced in late 2019, the Big New Zealand Upgrade is a $12b public works programme that aims to futureproof the country’s growth. Continue →

The Government’s latest investment in Northland will enable hi-cube container freight to be transported by rail in the region for the first time ever, KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller says State Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced a further $109.7 million rail investment through the Provincial Growth Fund at an event in Whangarei today. Continue →

The government is moving to fast-track billions in funding for rail investments in a change that is being hailed as historic The state-owned enterprise’s funding is usually approved annually by the Crown, but the government has already released a draft rail plan that will prioritise new trains, tracks and bridges across the country by funding KiwiRail’s budget through the National Land Transport Fund. Continue →

Plans for the new $5.3 billion Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport are underway, which will meet the city’s growing aviation needs The terminal building will be designed by an architectural team consisting of London-based Zaha Hadid Architects and Cox Architecture in Sydney. Continue →

When Kevin Smith told rail conference delegates in Auckland on September 13 that a $6 billion Auckland-to-Airport light rail budget could be reduced to under $1 billion, he was greeted with silence Raised hands at question time from the audience of local and overseas rail transport experts also disclosed that the South American technology is still not well known in this part of the World, despite its first 18km line being installed in Jakarta 28 years ago. Continue →

The urban air mobility market is heating up as two Australian cities vie to become the first international test city for Uber’s “flying car” trials Ana Narvaez – The Urban Developer The ridesharing giant will make the decision on which city will be home to the first international Uber air market test site on Monday — the first day of Uber’s two-day Elevate Summit held in Washington D.C. Continue →

While there has been a significant focus on the replacement of our passenger cars with autonomous vehicles, the explosion of micromobility on our streets has taken many by surprise Micromobility has been around for as long as the bicycle. Continue →

Agreement on a 20 year long term transport plan for Wellington to create a liveable, walkable CBD connected by rapid transit looks promising, but needs to be further developed and accelerated , says Stephen Selwood, CEO of Infrastructure New Zealand Commitment by the Government and the Wellington councils to a long term plan is a milestone in itself. Continue →

Evidence-based decision making is needed to bring down New Zealand’s increasing road toll, says Stephen Selwood CEO of Infrastructure NZ While discussion around how best New Zealand can improve its comparatively poor road safety performance is needed, it is essential that policy changes address the principal drivers of declining performance if we are to have any hope of turning the road toll around. Continue →

Genesis Energy has joined The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative which brings together companies from all over the world that are committed to switching their global fleets to electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions The diversified energy company has committed to convert every car in its light vehicle fleet to electric or hybrid by 2020, with the same ambition for 50% of its heavy vehicle fleet by 2025. Continue →

KiwiRail has posted improved revenue for the half year to December 2018 with overall revenue 12% up on the previous year Good progress in domestic freight (30%), forestry (15%) and bulk freight (8%) revenue to December was bolstered by an 8% increase in tourism revenue on the Great Journeys of New Zealand rail and ferry services. Continue →

Trucking industry managers attending the Women in Road Transport forum held in Auckland this week were presented with a possible solution to the driver shortage problem – more female drivers Four female students who are part of the first intake for the Manukau Institute of Technology’s new programme – the NZ Certificate in Commercial Road (Heavy Vehicle Operator) level 3 – spoke briefly about the experience and their career hopes for the future. Continue →

German aviation startup Volocopter has announced it will perform the next set of inner urban flight tests, as it expands its business operations into Singapore, The Urban Developer reports Volocopter chief executive Florian Reuter says the team is preparing to start implementing the first fixed routes in cities. Continue →

Random searches and lengthy queues at airports may be a thing of the past if a hi-tech security system currently being field-tested lives up to expectations A team of scientists, technicians and lux-Airport staff worked through the night to test FLYSEC’s intelligent end-to-end system, which analyses a passenger’s onsite behaviour, travel history and booking profile to classify them according to their ‘trustworthiness’. Continue →

The government’s $40m investment in a new freight hub near Palmerston North will ready the Manawatu-Whanganui region for the coming freight growth, KiwiRail’s Acting Chief Executive Todd Moyle says “Palmerston North is already a critical freight distribution point, with goods coming through from the upper North Island, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay and Wellington, and freight volumes expected to increase significantly in the coming decades,” he explains. Continue →

National Road Carriers Association and the Ports of Auckland are combining forces to promote change in the supply chain to improve delivery times and prevent delays This initiative has come about because of supply chain capacity issues which were highlighted following an accident at Ports of Auckland in August. Continue →

The government should move quickly to develop an agreed roadmap with the opposition, councils and business to replace the conventional vehicle fleet with electric and renewable fuel vehicles, an industry expert insists A new report by sustainability consultants thinkstep finds that up to 88% of New Zealand’s 2015 transport carbon emissions can be eliminated by 2050 by shifting the light vehicle fleet to electric and trucks, trains, boats and planes to hydrogen or biofuel, says Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Selwood. Continue →