Wairarapa, Manawatū rail lines to get $800m battery-electric French trains

Monday, 8 September 2025

At Wellington train station on Monday, Wellington and Horizons regional council chairpersons Daran Ponter and Rachel Keedwell, Alstom managing director for New Zealand Pascal Dupond, and Transport Minister Chris Bishop, announce the $800 million purchase of 18 new trains for the Manawatū and Wairarapa lines.

The Government will invest $800 million in 18 battery-electric multi-unit trains to travel the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines from Wellington.

More than a year after announcing the $800m for acquiring new trains, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and regional councillors were at Wellington Railway Station on Monday morning to announce a contract had been signed with French train manufacturer Alstom.

The new fleet was expected to enter service from 2030, and will double the current service, including four return train journeys between Wellington and Palmerston North. The new trains would be named Tūhono, meaning to connect or unite.

The contract has been signed for new battery-electric trains that will provide the Tūhoro service between Wellington and Palmerston North and Wairarapa.

“This is about investment in public transport and connectivity and growth for both the Wairarapa and the Manawatu, and functionally, we are basically bringing Palmerston North into the Wellington Metro railway network,” Bishop said.

Although the Government, in July 2024, said it would consider all engine types when acquiring the trains, it had now settled on battery-electric.

“This technology is in Ireland, Japan, Germany, Austria, the UK, Croatia and the Czech Republic, and so we're confident that it will work in New Zealand,” Bishop said.

The Government was funding 90% of the cost of the trains and infrastructure upgrade, which came in at $800.2m. The Greater Wellington Regional Council and Horizons Regional Council will cover the remainder.

A model of the trains that will be purchased for the Wellington rail network.

Of the Government contribution, $455.3m is Crown funding, and $347.5m is from the National Land Transport Fund.

Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter said a maintenance facility in Masterton had been contracted, which would create 30 jobs.

The trains would run on electric power lines until this part of the network stopped, at which point the batteries would power the trains.

Ponter said the councils decided against electrifying the rail lines to both Palmerston North and Masterton, which would cost “an awful amount of money”.

“You didn't actually get another bum on a seat from doing that. The battery electric technology now allows us to run trains to Masterton, to Palmerston North, on electricity, without the wires.”

Horizons Regional Council chairperson Rachel Keedwell said the new trains would “transform how people travel within our region and between our regions”.

Alstom managing director for New Zealand Pascal Dupond said this was the first train and maintenance contract his company had signed in the country.

“I do believe there will be more opportunities to come.”

Alstom was well established in Australia and had a small New Zealand team, he said.

Correction: This story previously said the Government had signed the contract with Alstom. The Greater Wellington Regional Council signed the contract, after Government funding was confirmed. (Monday, June 8, 2025 at 2:26pm)