New Zealand's $1.36B Rail Network Investment Programme: Overhaul and Modernization Plan 2024-2027

The 2024/25-2026/27 Rail Network Investment Programme has been finalised, providing $1.360 billion over three years with infrastructure investment that backs provincial New Zealand, Rail Minister Winston Peters says.

When the taxpayer builds an asset, we expect it to be used for the benefit of our economy and not wasting away on the side of the road, which is why we are focussed on a no-nonsense rebuild of the railways, Mr Peters says.

Since the first railway was laid in 1863, rail has built New Zealand into an export nation connecting the hinterland to ports and communities to each other.

Regional summaries of the work show the extent of work by track teams across New Zealand, relaying long lengths of rail, replacing ballast rock and sleepers, enlarging culverts to guard against floods and washouts, protecting bridges and slopes from erosion, and improving the telecommunication systems that manage the national signalling network.

This is the type of basic day-to-day investment that makes the economy work – grunt work that gets our exports to the rest of the world.

In 2020 when last responsible for rail, we changed the law to fund rail like roads by establishing a three-yearly Rail Network Investment Programme funding maintenance, renewals and network operations – rebuilding our rail infrastructure sleeper by sleeper after decades of dereliction.

Our network investment is bolstered by brand new train control centres in Upper Hutt and Auckland, resilient to natural disasters, which were built thanks to our investment when previously responsible for rail, accompanying thousands of new wagons, shunts and locomotives to underpin a thriving rail company.

And we have secured rail ferries for another generation.

When we talk about sleepers, we mean what sits under the rails, not those in Parliament, Mr Peters says.

Regional Summaries of the 2024/25-2026/27 Rail Network Investment Programme Northland: 2km of re-sleepering and 4km of re-railing 2 culvert renewals Renewals work on 3 bridges Renewals work on 1 telecommunications asset Auckland: 1km of re-sleepering, 1km of re-railing and 9 turnout replacements Westfield yard renewals Waikato (North Island Main Trunk and Waikato feeder lines): 400m of re-sleepering, 2km of re-railing and 4 turnout replacements 2 culvert renewals plus work on 5 slopes and river protection assets (along the Ongarue River) Renewals work on 4 bridges Renewals work on the active protection at 3 level crossings Resealing of 1 level crossing Renewal of points switching equipment at 9 turnouts Renewal of train-detection assets along 6 sections Renewals work on 11 telecommunications assets Renewals of traction assets at 32 sites on the electrified northern section of the North Island Main Trunk Business case study for electrification extension within the golden triangle 400m of re-sleepering, 2km of re-railing and 2 turnout replacements 1 culvert renewal and work on 1 retaining wall Renewals work on 5 bridges (including Bridge 125 south of Matata) Renewals work on the active protection at 1 level crossing Resealing of 1 level crossing Renewal of points switching equipment at 4 turnouts Renewal of train-detection assets along 1 section Renewals work on 17 telecommunications assets (including replacing the fibre-optic cable between the Waikato and Tauranga) Signal cable replacements between Awakaponga and Kawerau Mount Maunganui yard renewals Waikato / Bay of Plenty (East Coast Main Trunk and Bay of Plenty feeder lines): Hawkes Bay: 7km of re-sleepering, 5km of re-railing and 3 turnout replacements Resilience work on 1 bridge (Bridge 156 – Ormondville Viaduct) Renewals work on the active protection at 7 level crossings Resealing of 2 level crossings Taranaki / Manawatu-Whanganui (all lines west of Marton) 7km of re-sleepering and 6km of re-railing 3 culvert renewals and work on 2 retaining walls, 2 river protection assets and 1 slope Renewals work on 4 bridges Resealing of 8 level crossings 3km of re-sleepering, 2km of re-railing and 1 turnout replacement 1 culvert renewal and work on 2 slopes Renewals work on 6 bridges Renewals work on the active protection at 5 level crossings Resealing of 7 level crossings Renewal of points switching equipment at 4 turnouts Renewal of train-detection assets along 5 sections Renewals work on 9 telecommunications assets Renewals of traction assets at 21 sites on the electrified southern section of the North Island Main Trunk Manawatu-Whanganui (North Island Main Trunk and Manawatu Gorge to Pahiatua) Wellington: 300m of re-sleepering, 300m of re-railing and 2 turnout replacements Renewals work on 6 telecommunications assets Marlborough / North Canterbury (Main North Line): 3km of re-sleepering, 6km of re-railing and 1 turnout replacement Work on coastal protection between Claverley and Oaro and on 2 slopes (around tunnel portals) Renewals work on 12 bridges (including Bridges 189, 195 & 196 near Picton) Renewals work on the active protection at 1 level crossing Resealing of 1 level crossing Renewal of points switching equipment at 1 turnout Renewals work on 1 telecommunications asset Central Canterbury (Midland Line section): 2km of re-sleepering and 3km of re-railing 1 culvert renewal and work on 3 slopes Renewals work on 2 bridges (including Bridge 16, viaduct north of Springfield) Renewal of points switching equipment at 2 turnouts West Coast (including Midland Line section): 4km of re-sleepering, 4km of re-railing and 9 turnout replacements Ongoing track renewals work in the 8.5km-long Otira Tunnel 3 culvert renewals and work on 2 retaining walls and 1 slope Renewals work on 16 bridges (including Bridges 49, 88 and 89 on the Midland Line, and Bridges 11, 45 and 133 on the Stillwater-Ngakawau Line) Renewals work on the active protection at 2 level crossings Resealing of 2 level crossings Renewal of points switching equipment at 16 turnouts Renewal of train-detection assets along 1 section Renewals work on 7 telecommunications assets Resignalling renewals between Kokiri and Stillwater South Canterbury (Main South Line): 300m of re-sleepering, 1km of re-railing and 11 turnout replacements Renewals work on the active protection at 1 level crossing Resealing of 3 level crossings Renewal of points switching equipment at 5 turnouts 21km of re-sleepering, 13km of re-railing and 10 turnout replacements 8 culvert renewals and work on coastal protection assets, 6 retaining walls and 6 slopes Renewals work on 11 bridges (including Bridges 207 and 208 north of Dunedin, and completing the renewal of Bridge 202) Renewals work on the active protection at 4 level crossings Resealing of 24 level crossings Renewal of points switching equipment at 5 turnouts Renewals work on 6 telecommunications assets Otago / Southland: All regions: Minor renewals (across all asset classes) Component refurbishments Ballast top ups Rail de-stressing Rail grinding