The Government's announcement on the next steps for Cook Strait ferries has been welcomed by KiwiRail.
KiwiRail has welcomed the announcement on the next steps for new Cook Strait ferries and the certainty it gives to Interislander’s regular passengers and freight customers.
“It is pleasing that the Government has chosen to invest in the future of Cook Strait ferry services by deciding to procure two brand new ships, which will safeguard reliability into the future,” KiwiRail Chief Executive Peter Reidy said.
“The specifications that the Government has indicated mean the ships will be larger than the current ships, so there will be room for future growth.”
Reidy said KiwiRail acknowledged that rail-enabled ships are still an option. However, if the new ships are not rail-enabled, KiwiRail will be able to continue to efficiently move rail freight across Cook Strait in the same way it does now when our only rail-enabled ship, Aratere, is unavailable.
“Until the new ships arrive, Interislander will continue providing a reliable and safe Cook Strait service with our current ferries. They are the workhorses of Cook Strait, together carrying more than 620,000 passengers, 230,000 cars and 73,000 commercial vehicles a year, along with rail freight.”
Last financial year, Interislander’s reliability (services delivered compared to planned services) was at 96 percent. On time performance (running to timetable) was 86 percent. For the past four months, reliability has been close to 100 percent and last week we carried a record number of trucks, moving more than 2000 in the week.
Reidy added that KiwiRail was prepared to further strengthen its support for a new fleet.
“Between now and the new ships arriving, KiwiRail will work with all parties to support the procurement and smooth introduction of the new ferries when they are ready to enter service for our customers.”
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