New locomotives coming to Southland

Friday, 15 October 2021

About eight brand new low-emissions locomotives are coming to Southland from Spain.

In total KiwiRail is replacing 57 of its South Island fleet with new state-of-the-art locomotives, which will be made in Spain and arrive in New Zealand between 2024 and 2026.

There are currently about eight locomotives used in Southland, including running on the Main South Line to Invercargill. It is expected the number will stay the same when the new locomotives arrive for replacement.

The company has signed a binding contract with Stadler Rail Valencia and the contract price for the new fleet is $403 million.

**READ MORE:

* KiwiRail announces 57 new locomotives for South Island

* Budget 2021: Rail gets $1.3 billion for workshops, new trains, tracks

* $5m deal reached to maintain Ohai to Invercargill railway line

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KiwiRail group chief executive Greg Miller said the new fleet would meet the European Union’s world-leading emissions standards.

“For rail to play its proper role in New Zealand’s freight system, we need our services to be on time, every time. Right now, our 65-strong South Island locomotive fleet has an average age of 47 years.

“Our machines have been used for 17 years, on average, beyond their economic life. The fact that some of our machines are closer to 60 than to 50 – means reliability is a real issue,” he said.

Some of KiwiRail’s machines had had three complete rebuilds over their lives at a significant expense, using 1970s technology to rebuild them, Miller said.

“Each new locomotive will also be significantly more powerful and efficient than our current machines. This means there will be less need to use multiple locomotives to pull heavy trains – reducing fuel use and potentially reducing fleet CO2 emissions by 20 – 25 percent.

“It also means KiwiRail is future-proofed for the freight growth expected in the decades ahead by having locomotives that can pull larger trains,” he said.