South Island rail less viable without rail ferries – KiwiRail

Treasury has released documents related to the cancelled Interislander replacement project. (Image: KiwiRail)

Fri, 10 May 2024

The viability of the Picton to Christchurch rail line could be negatively affected without rail-enabled ferries across Cook Strait, according to a recently released briefing from KiwiRail to ministers.Documents released by Treasury today about the cancelled Interislander replacement project (iReX) show the previous government made an in-principle decision last September to provide an additional $750 million, less than the $1.2 billion KiwiRail had been seeking.At that point, the forecast project cost was $2.6b – far higher than the approv...

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