KiwiRail cuts annual earnings forecast as Aratere outage weighs, in talks with govt over finances

KiwiRail cuts annual earnings forecast as Aratere outage weighs, in talks with govt over finances
Feb. 28 (BusinessDesk) - KiwiRail, the state-owned rail service, has cut its forecast operating profit as the outage of the Aratere inter-island ferry weighs on earnings, and is in talks with the government to ensure it has enough cash to last the rest of the year. The Wellington-based state-owned enterprise reported a 21 percent drop in operating profit to $37.3 million in the six months ended Dec. 31, as a 0.7 percent gain in revenue to $365.5 million was outpaced by a 3.9 percent lift in expenses to $328.2 million. The full results won’t...