Bright idea brings hope for region's railway line

Northland ingenuity may save KiwiRail tens of millions of dollars and make the region's rail network viable.

The temptation to use the expression "there's light at the end of the tunnel" proved irresistible yesterday when the almost comically-simple idea was described at a meeting of the Northland Regional Land Transport Committee, held in Whangarei yesterday.

The RLTC's rail working party had presented KiwiRail with the concept of low-bed container wagons as a way of getting the new "high cube" or "maxi-cube" containers through tunnels between Auckland and Northland.

The cost of raising rail tunnels to accommodate the containers in Northland alone was thought to be more than $100 million, a major barrier to keeping the network open. The Northland network costs $9 million a year to operate and is running at a loss.

RLTC rail working party member Ken Rintoul told the committee KiwiRail liked the idea of low-bed container wagons. Designs for a run of wagons to be trialled pending a decision on funding were already with a potential manufacturer, who could deliver within four months.

He said the wagons could help retain KiwiRail in Northland and save hundreds of millions of dollars nationwide.

"It's taken half the problem away in Northland. It's a bit of a revolutionary idea.

"Things are looking a hell of a lot more positive than they were two or three months ago," he said.

The good news also included KiwiRail's appointment of a Northland representative to market the use of rail and the working party was also approaching contractors to find out what their needs were for moving freight around the region.

Mr Rintoul said using professional agents to generate freighting by rail, paid around two per cent of the transport fee, should also be considered.

Far North Mayor Wayne Brown raised a laugh when he asked if the working party had thought through the consequences "fending off the cost of raising the tunnels, KiwiRail's main reason for not saving the Northland network? You won't be popular, mate!"

RLTC chairman John Bain said most of what was happening around the possible use of the new wagons had to remain confidential at this stage but the committee wanted to signal good things were in the offing because there was public interest in the Northland network.