KiwiRail weather disruption: Extreme events cost more than $350m over a decade - Peter Reidy

Detailed summary

As severe weather puts increasing pressure on the national rail network, simply repairing infrastructure after an event is not enough. We need to learn from those events and…

KiwiRail is committed to building a lower-carbon future for New Zealand.

At the same time, we are preparing for the challenges of a changing climate.

As severe weather puts increasing pressure on the national rail network, simply repairing infrastructure after an event is not enough. We need to learn from those events and consider where investment can reduce the likelihood or consequences of future disruption.

But we must be practical. It would not be economically sensible to engineer away every conceivable risk across 3700 kilometres of railway. Better information will help us target investment where it delivers the greatest return for New Zealand.

This challenge cannot be addressed by KiwiRail alone. Building a more resilient transport system will require long-term thinking and collaboration across the country. KiwiRail is committed to working with other key players in the transport system to create a low-carbon, resilient transport network that delivers for all.

We are actively collaborating with the New Zealand Transport Agency, councils, ports and our road freight partners to identify where rail can add value by reducing congestion, supporting growth and enhancing resilience.

And the business case for investing in resilience before disruption strikes is clear.

At KiwiRail, we see first-hand what a changing climate means for New Zealand’s infrastructure. Last financial year, weather events, flooding, and slips forced us to cancel around 10 per cent of our train services.

Over the past decade alone, we’ve spent upwards of $350 million responding to extreme weather. A single recent flooding event near Kaikōura closed the line for seven days, costing roughly $3m in repairs and lost revenue.

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