Northland Rail Rejuvenation

Significant Government investment is enabling KiwiRail to improve rail connections in Northland, supporting the transfer of freight from road to rail and reducing transport emissions.

In June 2021, funding was also allocated from the Government’s New Zealand Upgrade Programme to build a rail link to Northport at Marsden Point.

This follows earlier investment to upgrade the North Auckland line to allow for larger modern containers and heavier loads to be carried on the line.

With freight volumes in Northland expected to increase from 18 million tonnes a year currently to 23 million tonnes by 2042, rail is a crucial part of developing an efficient, integrated road-rail transport system for the region.

Rail helps reduce overall transport emissions, given each tonne of freight carried by rail has 70 per cent fewer emissions than that carried by road.

It also helps reduce road congestion and road maintenance costs through fewer truck journeys.

See the Kiwirail website here.