16296 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail

Written Question

Published date: 16 Apr 2025

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	16296 (2025)
Question asked:	02 Apr 2025
Member asking:	Tangi Utikere
Portfolio:	Minister for Rail
Minister replying:	Rt Hon Winston Peters
Answer received:	10 Apr 2025
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_16296_2025
Document guid:	c95a2069-a250-469a-a3aa-5b84202d23a2

16296 (2025). Tangi Utikere to the Minister for Rail: What actions, if any, has the Minister taken to utilise the railway sleepers currently along the Northland railway line?

Rt Hon Winston Peters: New sleepers were installed from Auckland to Kauri, part of a North Auckland Line upgrade which see standard weight trains shift freight and lowered tracks within strengthened tunnels for hi-cube containers. That is thanks to decisions taken between 2017 and 2020. KiwiRail also purchased sleepers to reopen the line from Kauri to Otiria, but this project was halted between 2020 and 2023 resulting in sleepers sitting on the side of the railway. On returning to Government, we spoke with KiwiRail and reopening that line is now part the Marsden Point Rail Link proposal for which Ministers will receive a business case later this year – and decisions will follow. This is because shifting logs from the Far North catchment via Otiria would work best with a direct link into Northport via the Marsden Point Rail Link.