Mr Reidy says the $461 million funding commitment means the three-year Rail Network Investment Programme 2024-27 is funded so KiwiRail can efficiently look after the national rail network.
The future Interislander ferries will have road and rail decks, given the efficiency of single shunt movements for multiple rail wagons for loading and unloading.
Despite officials warning cancelling Interislander ferry replacements would require “careful and deliberate” communication with Korea, that only happened the same afternoon it was announced.
More than $30 million was spent reopening a mothballed Northland railway line before the partly-completed project was put on hold, figures obtained by RNZ show.
