Subscribe to RSSNew Electrics Will Be Running In 2013
Transport Minister Steven Joyce says he still expects to see Auckland’s first trains on the ground and operational from 2013.
AKT reported earlier that KiwiRail has a short list of two for the procurement and maintenance of the new 38 trains in a selection process that will be completed in the third quarter of this year.
The two remaining bidders for the EMU procurement and maintenance contract are:
- Hyundai Rotem Company which has been part of Korea’s heavy industry for 40 years
- A consortium of Madrid-based Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A./ and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation
CAF (Construcciones Y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles) has focused on the railway industry for the last 90 years, expanding its activities from Spain towards international markets. CAF designs, manufactures, delivers, commissions and maintains a range of vehicles for passenger railway services including tramways, light rail vehicles, metro cars, locomotives and passenger coaches.
Rotem is part of the Hyundai Motor Group and has produced railway systems for various customers throughout the world. Rotem manufactures EMUs, high-speed trains, light rail vehicles, locomotives, passenger coaches and freight wagons. Mitsui’s main business includes sales; manufacturing; export/import; and international trade and services in metal products and minerals, machinery, electronics and information, chemicals, energy, and consumer products and services.
Wellington’s 48 new Matangi electric trains are being built by Hyundai Rotem Mitsui.
The mention of the tender process being completed in the third qurter began a debate among readers as to when the trains would be running.
A few months back, KiwiRail said that the first units will arrive from mid-2013 but KiwiRail does not expect the trains to be operational for commuters until sometime in 2014.
Remember how long the Matangi are taking to come into service - although if the Korean firm is also building Auckland’s EMUs, hopefully some lessons will have been learnt and the learnings help shortcut the training and testing.
Will our trains look like the Matangi?
Today’s announcement gave Mr Joyce the chance to speak positively about Auckland’s trains.
In a statement he said:
“Rail is an increasingly important way for Aucklanders to get to work each day. The upgrade and electrification of the Auckland rail network will provide for more frequent trains at peak times and help to meet future passenger demand.
“New Zealand’s future success is tied to that of Auckland as our largest city and largest local economy. Getting Auckland transport working well is crucial to getting Auckland growing faster and providing more jobs.
“The government’s comprehensive rail and roading plan for Auckland is gaining momentum towards improving transport across the city. Increased productivity and growth in Auckland delivers flow-on effects for the rest of the country,” says Mr Joyce.
Two of the three on the short list were also on the short list for Wellington’s Matangis.
In 2006, Greater Wellington Council shortlisted three train manufacturers to supply the Wellington region with new EMU trains.
The three were :
- Bombardier Transportation (Australia)
Bombardier Transportation designs, manufactures and supports railway rolling stock and equipment, particularly EMUs for suburban commuter services. The company manufactures rolling stock and components in 42 locations across 21 countries, with two of these facilities located in Australia. Approximately 25% of the rolling stock in service every day around the globe are Bombardier trains. They withdrew from the previous tender list for the Auckland trains.
- CAF (Spain)
- Rotem (South Korea)/Mitsui (Japan)
Rotem is part of the Hyundai Motor Group and has produced railway systems for various customers throughout the world. Rotem manufactures EMUs, high-speed trains, light rail vehicles, locomotives, passenger coaches and freight wagons. Mitsui’s main business includes sales; manufacturing; export/import; and international trade and services in metal products and minerals, machinery, electronics and information, chemicals, energy, and consumer products and services.
The contract was awarded in 2007.
In April 2009, Wellington’s Matangi train project reached a milestone with formal sign-off of the design aspects by all partners - KiwiRail, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, Rotem-Mitsui and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Last March it was announced: “New trains will be running on all lines by June 2011.”
In July last year the first new Matangi train left on a ship from South Korea and was expected to arrive in Wellington in about three or four weeks.
Last September it was announced the Matangi would be operational from October.
Then, it was expected the first Matangi train would be taking passengers on the Upper Hutt Line in December of last year.
Eight two-car Matangi units are now in Wellington.
On March 25 an Upper Hutt to Wellington trip marked the start of regular service for the first Matangi train.
The new trains will, over time, replace trains purchased in 1982, some of which were built in the 1950s and were brought back into service from museums to meet demand.
Features of the new Matangi trains include a modern, stainless steel body; a low floor multi-function area in one car of each two-car unit for passengers with wheelchairs, buggies and bicycles; air-conditioned cooling and heating; doors operating on demand; open movement between a two-car unit; hearing loops in all cars; a public address system; and information systems with automated visual and audio next station information.
6 Comments
Well with the continued growth in ridership [1.1million in March alone!] will 38 units do by 2013/14?
And could Joyce manage a statement on rail without mentioning road for once? He never mentions the importance of rail when he’s talking on on road projects…..
hope they are smart like Wellington and have an option for ordering an extra 10 or so units.
Patrick - No it won’t be enough but that is probably all we can get with the budget and is why we are also buying 13 new electric loco’s to pull 6 car SA trains. Part of the reason is that we have just spent a lot of money refurbishing the carriages on the SA trains so they want to get the most life out of them as possible.
I believe the long term goal is for 57 EMUs however once we get the CBD tunnel we would be able to increase frequencies so would need more.
Hopefully Labour will have got the message on roads by the time they next hold the reins, and they’ll re-prioritise funding away from the RoSN into rail.
There’s plenty of money to buy new trains for Auckland - billions on Puford, billions on Transmission Gully, etc etc - but not when the Minister is a roads junkie who’s constantly craving his next fix.
“and they’ll re-prioritise funding away from the RoSN into rail.”
Labour would be hard pressed to be any worse than Joyce’s National Party - especially as in any realistic government constellation, they would need Greens support for many things. And the Greens transport policy is the sanest one we have among the political parties here.
We could stop spending totally on roads tomorrow, and it would still take us a decade to catch up on underinvestment in PT, so “radical” change (the kind that would give Joyce a heart attack, and make him predict economic collapse in a year) is really the new “sensible”.
Mark I am confident that as every day passes the sanity of the Greens transport policy is becoming more and more evident. Labour will be there by the time they are next in power. Sometimes I even think Joyce knows this too- which explains his urgency to commit us to his mad programme. But not why he is pursuing such an imprudent course in the first place. It really is nothing short of a disaster for the country, based on a big mistake about where we and the whole world is at.