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Ferry Holdings has reached agreement with CentrePort, Port Marlborough and KiwiRail on core infrastructure scope, Rail Minister Winston Peters has announced.
The agreements set out the scope of physical work and equipment to be delivered by 2029 when two new ferries arrive, with port and KiwiRail agreements to be entered later this year to confirm the investment splits between Ferry Holdings and each other company and other commercial terms.
“This is not our first regatta, as this no-nonsense infrastructure focus is what was supposed to happen in 2020 until poor management and a lack of oversight allowed iReX to blow out.
“We will save the taxpayer billions through our disciplined approach,” says Peters.
“The agreements entered into effectively mean the ports and KiwiRail are in, boots and all, with Cabinet’s preferred low-cost option.
“The focus of the agreements is primarily about the marine infrastructure. In Picton, new wharves and linkspans will be built while in Wellington we will be maximising the use of the existing Aratere infrastructure by modifying and strengthening the existing wharf to suit new ferries for the next 30 years and building a new linkspan,” says Peters.
“The ports and KiwiRail have agreed to minimal scope improvements to the yards, avoiding much of the costly scope creep which occurred under iReX which sought to lift the yards by metres and then complete required reconfigurations. Instead, perfectly good yards will continue to serve us as they have for decades.
“We are pleased to confirm for the locals in Picton that the Dublin Street overbridge will be built – ridding the town of the blocked streets it will experience when freight-laden trains arrive at the port. The road and rail will be grade separated before 2029 as a safety and an efficiency improvement for road and rail.
“The teams at Ferry Holdings, CentrePort, Port Marlborough and KiwiRail are doing an outstanding job in the service of the taxpayer, and we thank them for it,” says Peters.
