Bid to keep numbers up on city's electric trains

Auckland's regional transport authority is trying to secure the same amount of passenger capacity as originally proposed for electric trains, despite agreeing with KiwiRail to a rewrite of tender documents.

KiwiRail says it expects the Government to confirm funding for the project before Christmas, as indicated by Transport Minister Steven Joyce last month.

A spokeswoman for the minister told the Herald Mr Joyce "plans to take something to Cabinet shortly".

KiwiRail and the Auckland authority have decided to develop a new request for proposals from international suppliers "to reflect the changes in governance, quantity and specification of the EMUs [electric multiple units of trains] that have developed in the recent review of the project."

The two organisations said they had cancelled specifications set when they sought expressions of interest in supplying 140 electric railcars for the Auckland project.

That was "to ensure there is no confusion in the requirements as we move ahead", they said.

Authority chief executive Fergus Gammie said that although it was now over to KiwiRail to buy electric trains in consultation with his organisation, the seven respondents had been contacted and invited to participate in the next stage, which is a formal request for proposals.

KiwiRail chief Jim Quinn said the new request would be issued once funding was confirmed by the Government.

"We expect funding confirmation before Christmas this year."

Mr Quinn also said KiwiRail expected most of the new trains to be delivered by 2013. Despite the reference to changes in the numbers and specifications of the new trains, transport authority communications manager Sharon Hunter said her organisation was "aiming to deliver the equivalent capacity" as initially sought.

Regional leaders were alarmed in August when it emerged that a working group of senior officials from the transport authority, the NZ Transport Agency, the Ministry of Transport and Auckland rail operator Veolia had suggested initially buying 75 railcars instead of 140.

That followed their identification of $151 million of potential extra network spending in other parts of the region's basic rail upgrade and the electrification project.

Although the working party proposed slightly longer railcars, measuring 24m instead of the 20m envisaged earlier, total carrying capacity of the new electric fleet would have been reduced from 13,720 passengers to 9945.

But Mr Joyce quickly made it clear he was unhappy with the cuts to the "most visible" part of the project, and ordered the officials to maximise the number of railcars they could obtain within a $500 million funding cap for the rolling stock.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee said he was relieved KiwiRail had decided to press on with tendering without seeking new expressions of interest.

Mr Joyce has consistently said the Government remained committed to taking over funding responsibility for the trains, on top of its $500 million investment in electrifying Auckland's rail tracks between Papakura, Britomart and Swanson.

TRAIN SET

* Cost: $1 billion ($500 million to electrify the tracks and $500 million for new trains)

* Initial Auckland Regional Transport Authority proposal - 140 electric railcars (20m long), able to carry up to 13,720 passengers.

* Working party proposal of 75 24m railcars carrying up to 9945 passengers rejected by Transport Minister.