Passenger Rail, Market Sectors, Uncategorized

KiwiRail seeks construction contractors for North Auckland Line rejuvenation

Kiwirail has begun surveying the rail corridor for Northland line upgrades, and says it is seeking local contractors to conduct the work.

Survey teams have commenced gathering detailed ground and asset information towards designing bridge replacements and planning essential tunnel maintenance. This stage is expected to take five weeks and likely be completed at the end of November, according to a statement from the operator.

Kiwirail intends to hire consultant for the bridge replacement and tunnel works in early December.

“Northland’s railway lines are underused at the moment because of their condition. The NAL is around 100 years old, is currently mothballed north of Kauri (above Whangarei) and the whole line has been in a state of ‘managed decline’ until its future was determined. The survey work is a major step in turning that around,” said KiwiRail Chief Operating Officer Capital Projects David Gordon.

With the government having invested $94.8 million towards the North Auckland Line, from the Provincial Growth Fund, this year much needed maintenance can now commence.

“Where possible, we want to use local firms for the work. There will be a mix of larger and smaller jobs making up the overall programme of works, so we wanted to ensure the local industry was aware of the opportunities not just for large companies, but also for smaller scale contractors,” said Gordon.

“We have ensured that where possible the work is broken into bite-sized pieces suitable for smaller contractors.”

As such, KiwiRail provided an industry briefing for Northland contracting and construction companies about future work opportunities last week. The briefing session in Whangarei was attended by more than 40 people.

“Working in the rail corridor brings with it special safety requirements that are different from working on roads and other civil construction activity. At yesterday’s session we provided information about those requirements and the support we can provide to ensure contractors qualify,” said Gordon.