按时、完整交付——铁路与马斯登角铁路连接线的必要性
（在旺格雷举行的北部上岛战略联盟会议演讲）
下午好。
感谢旺格雷区议会的接待，感谢市长Ken Couper、市长 Mahe Drysdale 以及主席Pita Tipene邀请我们出席今天的会议。
同时向在场的各位表示诚挚问候，包括来自 KiwiRail 的Reidy先生。
今天，我们与北地、奥克兰、怀卡托和陶朗加的领导人齐聚一堂。我们也算是你们领域里的“老面孔”，毕竟曾代表过Hunua、Tauranga和Northland选区，不过这就不细说了。
你们希望听听我们对货运、铁路以及它们如何配合北部上岛战略联盟发展的看法。巧的是，我们对这三个问题都有一些看法。
新西兰货运体系
让我们面对现实。
新西兰位于全球海运网络的末端，几乎就在企鹅的北边。
规模效应至关重要。
这也是为什么像 Fonterra 和 Silver Fern Farms 这样的出口企业会共同成立 Kotahi，以及为什么我们必须重视与国际大型航运公司的关系。
我们再怎么强调也不为过：政府和企业与全球航运巨头建立良好关系，对于维持新西兰与世界的经济联系至关重要。
例如：
- Maersk
- CMA CGM
当人们问哪些港口对新西兰未来最重要时，我们毫不犹豫地回答：
- Port of Tauranga
- Northport
- Lyttelton Port
- Port Chalmers
这并不意味着其他港口不重要。
但当国际航运公司不断告诉我们，他们偏好：
- 深水港
- 能停靠大型船舶
- 操作流程简单高效
那么总有一天，我们必须认真倾听。
奥克兰港与陶朗加港的经验
这些年来，人们不断呼吁制定新的港口战略。
坦白说，一个像“如何让新西兰连接世界”这样基础的问题，竟然被我们搞得如此复杂，实在令人惊讶。
奥克兰市长 Wayne Brown 用他一贯直接的风格，在奥克兰港实现了：
- 11亿纽元利润分红
- 更多海滨开放空间
- 提高港口收费
- 取消自动化计划
- 让港口专注核心业务
而核心业务之一就是铁路货运。
与此同时，陶朗加市长 Mahe Drysdale 及丰盛湾地区领导层仍专注于陶朗加港的长期发展。
作为前陶朗加国会议员，我们非常清楚这个港口如何改变了丰盛湾乃至整个新西兰。
如今它已经成为新西兰最大的港口。
但如果没有铁路，这一切能实现吗？
答案是否定的。
铁路改变了陶朗加
Kaimai隧道把汉密尔顿与陶朗加连接起来。
它绕开了Karangahake Gorge，大幅提高货运效率。
如今：
陶朗加港接近一半的集装箱通过铁路运输。
Southdown和Ruakura内陆货运中心之所以成功，正是因为铁路像传送带一样持续运送货物。
事实上，我们所谓的“黄金三角”（奥克兰—汉密尔顿—陶朗加），更应该被称为：
“钢铁三角”。
铁路还释放了道路运输能力，并降低燃油消耗。
例如：
如果把从奥克兰到北帕默斯顿（Palmerston North）的同等货运量全部改用卡车运输，单程将额外消耗约14,000升燃油。
这再次证明：
环保本身就是经济选择。
而不是某些国会反对党惯常表现出的“翻白眼式环保”和“道德表演”。
幸运的是，我们今天在旺格雷，而不是在国会。
铁路正在复兴
铁路有其任务，而它正在完成任务。
我希望更多领导人能够看到KiwiRail正在取得的成绩。
十年前铁路被忽视。
今天铁路正在成功。
KiwiRail最近公布：
- 半年利润7300万纽元
- 全年预计利润1.6亿纽元
货运量增长：
- 铁路：7%
- 公路：约2%
那么铁路为什么成功？
因为我们制定了战略，而铁路人把它实现了。
政府投资铁路
我们修改了法律。
让铁路基础设施像国家高速公路一样获得长期资金支持。
从那以后：
- 更换枕木
- 加固桥梁
- 重建线路
一步一步恢复铁路网络。
今年风暴期间，全国仅发生两处严重铁路冲毁事故：
- 北岛一处
- 南岛一处
对于全国铁路系统而言，这是不错的成绩。
2026预算包括：
- 10.75亿纽元铁路网络投资
- 1.07亿纽元城市铁路更新资金
此外：
- 已投入使用超过2000节新货车车厢
- 达尼丁Hillside工厂仍在持续组装新车厢
- 货场使用新的调车机车
- 南岛机车车队将于明年全部更新
新机车将由西班牙制造。
届时KiwiRail将拥有全球最年轻的铁路货运机车车队之一。
人们应该认识到：
铁路已经强势回归。
北地铁路升级
北奥克兰铁路（North Auckland Line）已经完成全面升级：
- 更换涵洞
- 加固路基
- 降低隧道高度限制
- 恢复标准载重列车运行
这些工作都是为了一个目标：
马斯登角铁路连接线（Marsden Point Rail Link）。
为什么要建设马斯登角铁路
答案非常简单。
Northport理应像新西兰其他主要港口一样拥有铁路连接。
前届政府曾拨款4.1亿纽元。
但问题是：
铁路甚至还没有设计完成。
KiwiRail被要求：
- 建造全新铁路
- 同时解决各种附带问题
不仅要修铁路，
还被要求：
- 应对未来海平面上升
- 修建各种高架桥
结果如何？
设计成本超过10亿纽元。
于是前政府对这个项目突然沉默了。
政府的新做法
这暴露了新西兰基础设施建设的一大问题。
传统模式是：
- 宣布项目
- 做商业论证
- 公布预算
- 成本上涨
- 大家惊讶
我们决定换一种方式。
去年，我们把KiwiRail设计方案开放给市场。
让：
- 建筑商
- 投资方
共同审查方案并提出替代设计。
本周宣布：
三家企业将参与竞争：
- Acciona
- Downer Group 与 HEB 联营体
- Martinus Rail
他们将竞争提出更低成本方案。
关键在于：
他们不知道政府预算是多少。
他们只知道：
谁更有效率，谁就更有机会获得合同。
结论
北部上岛地区人口占全国超过60%。
机遇巨大。
但未被利用的机遇毫无价值。
我们必须专注于基本建设。
目前铁路投资中：
每1纽元就有66分用于维护和更新铁路网络。
基础设施委员会认为应超过60分。
而我们已经做到。
运输体系必须作为一个整体运作：
- 铁路
- 公路
- 沿海航运
相互配合。
如果实现：
- Northport扩建
- 陶朗加港扩建
- Northport铁路连接
- Kaimai隧道增设会车线
- 奥克兰货运能力提升
- Avondale—Southdown铁路连接
那么：
奥克兰、汉密尔顿、陶朗加和北地之间将形成更强大的经济走廊。
而连接这一切的核心，
正是铁路。
一个历史悠久的运输系统，
正在为未来重新焕发生机。
我们不会回避大胆的构想。
从过往纪录来看，
我们会把它们落实。
谢谢大家。
[Speech to the Upper North Island Strategic Alliance, Whangarei]
Good afternoon.
Thank you to our hosts at Whangārei District Council, and to Mayor Ken Couper, Mayor Mahe Drysdale, and Chair Pita Tipene for inviting us to be with you today.
Warm acknowledgments to everyone here today, including Mr Reidy from KiwiRail.
Here we are with the leaders of Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga. We do have some form in your arena, having represented Hunua, Tauranga and Northland, but who’s counting.
You asked for our views on freight, rail, and how they align with the Upper North Island Strategic Alliance. It just so happens we have views on all three.
New Zealand’s freight system
Let’s face facts. New Zealand sits at the end of the global shipping line, just north of the penguins. Scale matters. That is why exporters like Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms created Kotahi, and why our relationships with major shipping lines are so important.
We cannot overstate how essential business and government relationships are with major players like Maersk, CMA and so forth in maintaining our economic connectivity with the rest of the world.
When people ask which ports matter most to New Zealand’s future, we do not hesitate: Tauranga, Northport, Lyttelton and Port Chalmers.
That does not diminish the role of other ports, but when the shipping lines consistently tells us where they want to go—ports with deep water, capable of taking large ships, and simpler operations—at some point we have to listen.
We have endured countless reports calling for another ports strategy. Frankly, it is remarkable how difficult we make something as fundamental as connecting New Zealand to the world.
Mayor Wayne Brown, with his usual forthrightness, showed how to get results with the Ports of Auckland: a $1.1 billion profit share, more waterfront access, higher gate charges, scrapped automation plans, and a port focussed on what it does best—and that includes rail freight.
Likewise, Mayor Mahe Drysdale and Bay of Plenty leaders remain focussed on the long-term growth of Port of Tauranga. Of course, we will leave remarks about the planned asset sale by the regional council to another day.
As a former Member for Tauranga, we know the transformation that port enabled for the Bay of Plenty and New Zealand. It is now New Zealand’s largest port. But could it have happened without rail? No.
The Kaimai Tunnel connected Hamilton to Tauranga and changed the game, avoiding the Karangahake Gorge and speeding up the connection of freight.
Today, almost half of every container at Port of Tauranga moves by rail. Southdown and Ruakura thrive because rail is the conveyor belt keeping freight moving.
The Golden Triangle should in fact be called the Steel Triangle.
Rail also frees road capacity and cuts fuel consumption. Moving the equivalent freight from Auckland to Palmerston North by truck would burn around 14,000 extra litres of fuel on a single trip.
It proves once again that being green is an economic choice—requiring none of the eyerolling, virtue-signalling nonsense seen from some of our opponents in Parliament.
Thankfully, we are in Whangārei, not Parliament.
Rail priorities
Rail has a task to serve, and it is doing it.
It would be good to see more leaders acknowledging the work happening at KiwiRail.
Ten years ago, rail was neglected. Today it is succeeding. KiwiRail reported a $73 million half-year profit and remains on track for $160 million this year. Freight volumes are up seven percent, compared with around two percent for road.
So why is rail succeeding?
Because we set a strategy and railway people delivered it.
We changed the law so rail infrastructure is funded more like state highways. Since then, sleeper by sleeper and bridge by bridge, the network has been rebuilt.
This year’s storms caused only two significant washouts nationwide. One per island for a national network is not a bad result.
Budget 2026 includes $1.075 billion for the national network and another $107 million for metropolitan rail renewals.
More than 2,000 new wagons are already in service, with hundreds more being assembled at Hillside Workshop in Dunedin. New shunts are operating in KiwiRail’s freight yards, and the entire South Island locomotive fleet will be replaced next year with state-of-the-art locomotives built in Spain.
KiwiRail will soon have the youngest locomotive fleet of any rail freight company in the world. People need to sit up and see what is in front of them here: rail is back in big way.
Indeed, two new ferries will arrive in 2029 – with rail on them just has been the case for the past 60 years.
In Northland, the North Auckland Line has been comprehensively upgraded. Culverts replaced, embankments rebuilt, tunnels lowered, and standard-weight trains restored.
That work has put the railway in position for Marsden Point.
For the business itself, KiwiRail has finally grappled with its cost competitiveness. It has taken hard decisions to remove inefficient practices, thereby saving costs. Those decisions have a twin objective: offer a cost-competitive rail solution, while contributing to what is most important to freight customers: schedule reliability.
In our office, we have adopted a freight term: ‘Delivered in full on time”. This is a well-worn measure that KiwiRail people spend their working days focussed on, as reliability is everything.
The Interislander, for example, is 98 percent reliable. A major advance on recent years.
KiwiRail’s freight services are around 90 percent, often 95 percent for major customers such as Fonterra, and all have markedly improved in recent years.
Part of this is to do with the new assets we bought for them, but much of it comes down to the work on the ground and that is why rail is succeeding.
Because when we give people in this country the tools to succeed, New Zealanders succeed.
And so, we turn to another building block for long-term export success.
Marsden Point Rail Link
The Marsden Point Rail Link is needed. It is blindingly obvious that Northport should have the same rail connection enjoyed by every other major port in New Zealand.
The previous Government allocated $410 million before a railway had been designed. KiwiRail was effectively asked to create a brand-new railway while solving every conceivable problem along the way.
It wasn’t enough to just build a railway from Oakleigh to Marsden Point, KiwiRail was also expected to save Northland from extreme sea level rise and build overbridges so a ute can inspect a pole every year or so.
The result was a design costing more than $1 billion, and suddenly the previous Government had nothing much to say about this project.
That is a major fault in how New Zealand does infrastructure. We have ambitions for sainthood when we just need to attend confession.
Governments announce projects, spend years producing business cases, reveal what they are willing to pay, and then act surprised when costs rise.
That is not what we are doing here.
Last year we opened KiwiRail’s design work to the market. Builders and funders reviewed the information, proposed alternatives, and identified opportunities to reduce costs.
This week we announced that Acciona, the Downer-HEB partnership, and Martinus Rail will compete to develop lower-cost options.
And here is the beautiful part: they are competing. They want the construction contracts. We want value for money. And they do not know our budget.
Imagine applying that principle across more infrastructure projects instead of publishing glossy business cases that reveal the number on day one.
This approach means our Government will receive robust cost estimates, actual design data underpinning them, and can proceed to build and fund with far higher confidence than is typically the case for infrastructure.
Conclusion
Collectively, your regions represent more than 60 percent of New Zealand. The opportunities are immense, but opportunities not taken count for nothing.
What we need is a focus on basics.
In rail, 66 cents of every dollar goes into maintaining and renewing the network. The Infrastructure Commission says we should spend more than 60 cents. We already do.
The transport system is exactly that: a system. Rail, roads and coastal shipping working together.
An expanded Northport. An expanded Port of Tauranga. A rail connection to Northport. Additional crossing loops around the Kaimai Tunnel. More freight capacity through Auckland. An Avondale–Southdown connection.
Put those together and you create a stronger connection between Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Northland.
And the connector—the ballast for growth—is rail.
A system as old as anything, coming into its own for the future.
We do not shy away from bold ideas. If our record is anything to go by, we deliver them.
Thank you.
