New Zealand Government bids to buy back trains, ferries

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/sto ... d=10496622

good news if it comes off .

David Benton wrote:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/sto ... d=10496622

good news if it comes off .

I think the fashion for privatising communal services is coming to an end. It really was a fashion, propagated by such people as the late Milton Friedman and a band of enthusiasts - including Thatcher. As long as the US continues losing influence its power to make others privatise will also diminish.

At least the Veolia Auckland system must be one of the more successful privatizations in NZ - even if they did take over from Tranz Rail.

welcome , somebody , to the worldwide forum . Veiola is only the operator . ontrack (govt owned ) own the track , auckland regional council own the trains .
As far as i can make out they are doing a reasonable job of it , wether its any etter than the wellington area operation owned and run by toll rail , i couldnt say .

David Benton wrote:welcome , somebody , to the worldwide forum . Veiola is only the operator . ontrack (govt owned ) own the track , auckland regional council own the trains .
As far as i can make out they are doing a reasonable job of it , wether its any etter than the wellington area operation owned and run by toll rail , i couldnt say .

It would seem to be similar to the franchise system in Britain. The operating companies lease the trains from the banks, and in reality are paid to manage things. Network Rail own the track and organise the timetable. Some do it badly, especially First Great Western. I see that First now own Greyhound in the US. That operation is a shambles and needs a lot of sorting out. I wonder if they are capable.

David Benton wrote:welcome , somebody , to the worldwide forum . Veiola is only the operator . ontrack (govt owned ) own the track , auckland regional council own the trains .
As far as i can make out they are doing a reasonable job of it , wether its any etter than the wellington area operation owned and run by toll rail , i couldnt say .

Does Ontrack still do maintenance of track and stations or is Veolia responsible for that? Does Auckland have many freight trains running on the same tracks as suburban railcars?

I have read that the patronage on the Auckland network has shot up since Connex/Veolia has taken over - of course the opening of Britomart and the expansion of services running on Sundays must have helped

Ontrack does all the track and infrastructure maintenance .
Veoila is under contract to run the trains , i think even maintenance is done by the arc , via toll rail .
the new trains have helped , as has britomart , and increased conjestion on the roads . but they started form virtually noone riding the trains , and have done very well .

Would Auckland's trains be busier than Wellington's now? I know Auckland has a significantly larger population but Auckland's trains have always been neglected compared to Wellington which has has electrification since the 1930s - and is still running antique English Electric EMUs that were introduced then!

i think auckland has just come up to just over 1 million trips per year , wellington was about 10 million , has dropeed to around 8 million .
Apart form the electrification , it has to do with geography , wellington is very hilly , and most housing is along valleys radiating out of it , making most houses close to rail . auckland is sprawl city , only now filling in .( i think area wise its bigger than london !) .
The old ee units are still running in peak times and on the johnsonville line . i think the ones still going are the last to be delivered , so are a young 60 or so years old !

Govt and Toll move closer to sale
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/sto ... d=10500030

looks like its going to happem shortly . govt will want it done before the election .

Finally , the deal is done . be interesting to see how much the govt now spends on rolling stock etc .
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4511142a6034.html

see the related links for more opinions on the sale .

http://www.tv3.co.nz/Governmentpays665m ... aspx#video

the 2nd part ( not counting the ads ) has finance minister Dr Cullen outlining the govts future plans and past issues .

David Benton wrote:Finally , the deal is done . be interesting to see how much the govt now spends on rolling stock etc .
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4511142a6034.html

see the related links for more opinions on the sale .

The prime minister's remarks here seem to be exactly right.

"With rising fuel prices and growing awareness about the challenge of global climate change, many nations are looking to rail as a central part of 21st century economic infrastructure."

More electrification would be appropriate and perhaps modern EMUs for the main line.

i think Ms Clarke is keen to get something in place to help with our fuel use / emissions before the election .
Unfortunately it looks like the govt will delay the introduction of the fuel tax becase of high fuel prices and the coming election .
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4511432a23917.html

David Benton wrote:i think Ms Clarke is keen to get something in place to help with our fuel use / emissions before the election .
Unfortunately it looks like the govt will delay the introduction of the fuel tax becase of high fuel prices and the coming election .
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominionpost/4511432a23917.html

Governments all over know they ought to tax oil products more, to stimulate alternatives. We need a huge programme of investment in solar derivatives.
But they are all afraid of demonstrations by "motorists".

I think we need the alternatives first and then raise the price of oil products until they cost more than solar power. So, electrifying the railway and increasing services should be one step to be done first.