New Zealand's newest multi-million dollar rail facility set to open

New Zealand's newest multi-million dollar rail facility, Midland Port, is set to open next week.  The rail link is primarily to move containers 30km between Lyttelton and Rolleston, specifically to get trucks off the streets of Christchurch, but will also be used to move containers to and from points south and west.

A contracted rail freight service between Rolleston and Lyttelton will offer a daily dedicated 24-wagon rail shuttle for customers.

In my opinion this would not be a viable project for KiwiRail.  But for a company like LPC, willing to add in external benefits such as traffic congestion reductions, time savings and environmental and safety benefits to the cost analysis, the numbers stack up. 

It's a great example of why the rail industry needs more and more players to drive things forward. Innovation is about thought process as much as it is technology.

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The railway construction project contract was awarded by LPC to Fulton Hogan, with tamping work sub-contracted by Fulton Hogan to KiwiRail.

The new Jones Road level crossing on the new link into Midland Port (Gerald Petrie photo)