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KiwiRail has unveiled its plans to transition to a low carbon, climate resilient business as it prepares the network for the growing impacts of climate change.
“With government support we’ve procured 66 new efficient diesel locomotives – 47 will replace our ageing locomotive fleet in the South Island and 19 will be deployed in the North Island between now and 2028,” says KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy.
“We’re improving the sustainability of the infrastructure we build, including reducing embodied carbon in our assets and minimising waste from construction.
“Government funding has also allowed us to invest in low emissions shunting technology, ordering 24 hybrid shunt vehicles and 11 electric shunt vehicles to complement the 16 electric vehicles already in service.”
In its latest sustainability strategy, KiwiRail has set ambitious but feasible targets to reduce emissions across its operations, with specific actions and timelines to achieve them.
“Our new carbon reduction plan outlines how we will reduce emissions across our various operational areas, including rail freight, ferries, vehicle fleet and other business activities,” says KiwiRail sustainability manager Michelle Deely.
KiwiRail is a leader in low-carbon emissions transport, and its customers want to make use of rail’s natural low-carbon advantage. Moving freight by rail helps those customers by providing a lower emissions option in the supply chain so they can meet their own sustainability targets.
KiwiRail has also issued its first climate adaptation plan, outlining how the company will proactively manage climate risks to maintain more reliable services and avoid the need for costly repairs to its assets after extreme weather.
“We’re taking a comprehensive approach. For example, we’ve developed standard bridge designs that enable increased resilience to climate change by raising the height of the bridge surface above flooding levels.
“We’ve also improved our remote sensor network, with 45 landslide sensors across the network monitoring specific slip sites in high-risk locations, and 318 weather and rain gauges to monitor the risk of severe weather events.
“And we’re using our LiDAR-enabled drone to capture rate of change of coastal assets, an innovative approach that enables us to identify our higher risk areas and those sections more vulnerable to sea level rise so we can target our maintenance and renewals.”
