KEY POINTS:
KiwiRail's new chief executive Jim Quinn admits he is no engineer, but he has a background in logistics and has worked with KiwiRail chairman Jim Bolger.
He said he didn't try to suss out how much money the new Government will invest in rail, believing it will be his job to build the business case for investment.
"At the end of the day money is subject to a business case
... The challenge is to make sure our requests for capital are sensible and well thought through," he said.
Quinn has been meeting with William Peet, the acting KiwiRail chief executive, who many in the industry expected to have been in for the job.
Bolger yesterday paid tribute to Peet, who was chief executive of rail network operator Ontrack prior to the creation of KiwiRail.
Bolger is chairman of NZ Post and Quinn is currently the chief executive of Express Couriers, the joint venture NZ Post has with DHL. He has also held senior roles at NZ Post.
He has worked for Freightways, the successful now listed courier company. He takes up his role at KiwiRail on March 1.
Quinn said he had made it clear to Peet, who has an engineering background, that he would like him to stay on.
"The area that isn't my area of strength is clearly his area of strength," he said.
Quinn declined to comment on any changes to the KiwiRail brand, which has bold reds associated with the Labour Party that bought the rail business back from Toll Holdings of Australia.
Many industry observers would argue that new locomotives are needed, not new paint jobs.
- NZPA
