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Rail Transport In New Zealand
Rail transport in New Zealand is an integral part of Transport in New Zealand, New Zealand's transport network, with a nationwide network of of track linking most major cities in the North and South Islands, connected by inter-island rail and road ferries. Rail transport in New Zealand has a particular focus on bulk freight exports and imports, with 19 million net tonnes moved by rail annually, accounting for more than half of rail revenue. Rail transport played an important role in the opening up and development of the hinterland outside of New Zealand's predominantly dispersed and coastal settlements. Starting with the Ferrymead Railway in 1863, most public railway lines were short, built by Provinces of New Zealand, provincial governments and connected major centres to their nearest seaport (such as Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton Harbour). From the 1870s, the focus shifted to building a nationwide network linking major centres, especially during the The Vogel Era, ...
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Ministry Of Transport (New Zealand)
The Ministry of Transport () is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the New Zealand Government on transport policy. The Ministry works closely with other government transport partners, including the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to advance their strategic objectives. Functions and responsibilities The organisation's aim is to "enable New Zealanders to flourish, reflecting transport’s role in shaping society, economy and environment". This aim is underpinned by Te Manatu Waka's strategic direction which is based on Hei Arataki – the Ministry's Māori strategy to deliver improved transport outcomes for Māori. The Ministry is able to carry out reviews on behalf of the Minister of Transport and also commission other agencies to undertake reviews to highlight best practice, indicating the collaborative nature of the Te Manatu Waka work programme. The Ministry also provides twice-yearly forecasts to the New Zealand Treasury on revenue accrue ...
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State-owned Enterprise
A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business entity created or owned by a national or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goods at lower prices, implement government policies, or serve remote areas where private businesses are scarce. The government typically holds full or majority ownership and oversees operations. SOEs have a distinct legal structure, with financial and developmental goals, like making services more accessible while earning profit (such as a state railway). They can be considered as government-affiliated entities designed to meet commercial and state capitalist objectives. Terminology The terminology around the term state-owned enterprise is murky. All three words in the term are challenged and subject to interpretation. First, it is debatable what the term "state" implies (e.g., it is unclear whether municipally owned corporations and ente ...
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Straits Air Freight Express
Straits Air Freight Express (SAFE) was a cargo airline, established in 1950, named for its Cook Strait focus and connecting the North Island and South Islands of New Zealand's railway systems from the 1950s to the 1970s. The company was renamed Safe Air Limited in 1966 and diversified into aviation maintenance. In 1972 it was bought by the National Airways Corporation, which then merged with Air New Zealand. Safe Air continued to be operated as an independent entity by both owners. It ceased flying in 1990, but has continued to expand as a maintenance facility and now employs approximately 350 staff. In 2015 it was bought by the Australian arm of Airbus. Rail Air In 1947, New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) and the Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the ...
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Interislander
Interislander is a road and rail ferry service across New Zealand's Cook Strait, between Wellington in the North Island and Picton, New Zealand, Picton in the South Island. It is owned and operated by state-owned rail operator KiwiRail. Three roll-on roll-off (RORO) vessels operate the route, taking about three hours to complete the crossing. The inter-island rail ferry service began in August 1962, operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR). The service primarily provided a RORO rail link between its North and South Island networks, allowing NZR to compete directly with coastal shipping companies for inter-island freight. It also provided the first RORO road link between the two islands, which saw the Wellington to Picton ferries compete with, and then completely replace, the Union Company's Wellington–Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton ferry service. Today, the Interislander service is still well patronised despite competition on the Wellington–Picton sea route ...
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New Zealand Railways Road Services
The New Zealand Railways Road Services (NZRRS) was a branch of the New Zealand Railways Department and later the New Zealand Railways Corporation. It operated long-distance, tourist and suburban bus services and freight truck driver, trucking and Package delivery, parcel services. Its name was New Zealand Railways Road Motor Service until mid-1936. History The first bus operation by NZR began on 1 October 1907, between Culverden on the Waiau Branch and Waiau, Canterbury, Waiau Ferry in Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury. By the 1920s NZR was noticing a considerable downturn in rail passenger traffic on many lines due to increasing ownership of private cars, and from 1923 it began to coordinate rail passenger services with private bus services. In November 1926, NZR purchased a private bus firm operating between Hastings, New Zealand, Hastings and Napier, New Zealand, Napier in the Hawke's Bay Region, Hawke's Bay region. NZR then acquired various other bus services in Dunedin a ...
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New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining Rail transport in New Zealand, New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was corporatised on 1 April 1982 into the New Zealand Railways Corporation. Originally, railway construction and operation took place under the auspices of the former Provinces of New Zealand, provincial governments and some private railways, before all of the provincial operations came under the central New Zealand Ministry of Works, Public Works Department. The role of operating the rail network was subsequently separated from that of the network's construction. From 1895 to 1993 there was a responsible Minister, the Minister of Railways (New Zealand), Minister of Railways. He was often also the Minister of Public Works. Apart from four brief experiments with i ...
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Bush Tramway
A bush tram and line-side log hauler owned by the Tamaki Sawmill Co., Raurimu. Photographed by Albert Percy Godber circa 1917. In New Zealand railway terminology, a bush tramway is an industrial tramway, most commonly used for logging. They are distinguished from urban trams as bush tramways were predominantly for freight, usually logging in the bush, and not for passengers, and were often built in parts of the countryside that were otherwise inaccessible to transport. In some cases, such as the Kinleith Branch, bush tramways were converted to heavy rail and incorporated into the New Zealand Government Railways network. In modern parlance, both urban trams and bush tramways are known as light rail. History Although legally defined as a railway, the Dun Mountain Railway was the first industrial tramway in New Zealand, opening in 1862. The line used horses to haul mineral wagons from Dun Mountain the port of Nelson. "Bush tram" was first used to describe the horse-drawn tramw ...
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3 Ft 6 In Gauge Railways
Railways with a track gauge of were first constructed as horse-drawn wagonways. The first intercity passenger railway to use 3 ft 6 in was constructed in Norway by Carl Abraham Pihl. From the mid-nineteenth century, the gauge became widespread in the British Empire. In Africa it became known as the Cape gauge as it was adopted as the standard gauge for the Cape Government Railways in 1873, even though it had already been established in Australia and New Zealand before that. It was adopted as a standard in New Zealand, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Queensland (which has the second largest narrow gauge network in the world) in Australia. There are approximately of gauge track in the world, which are classified as narrow-gauge railways. History ;1795: One of the first railways to use gauge was the Little Eaton Gangway in England, constructed as a horse-drawn wagonway in 1795. Other gauge wagonways in England and Wales were also ...
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Narrow Gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railway curve radius, tighter curves, smaller structure gauges, and lighter Rail profile, rails; they can be less costly to build, equip, and operate than standard- or broad-gauge railways (particularly in mountainous or difficult terrain). Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often used in mountainous terrain, where engineering savings can be substantial. Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often built to serve industries as well as sparsely populated communities where the traffic potential would not justify the cost of a standard- or broad-gauge line. Narrow-gauge railways have specialised use in mines and other environments where a small structure gauge necessitates a small loading gauge. In some countries, narrow gauge is the standard: Ja ...
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The Vogel Era
The Vogel Era describes the history of New Zealand between 1873 and 1876, when the country adopted an immigration and public works scheme inaugurated by the colonial treasurer, then premier, Julius Vogel to develop the country and to relieve the slump of the late 1860s; to be financed by borrowing overseas. His "Great Public Works Policy" resulted in a large increase in migrants and provision of many new railways, roads and telegraph lines. The railway system developed from a few lines in three gauges to the start of a national network including the main line from Christchurch to Dunedin, though the narrow "Cape gauge" required later upgrading to increase the restricted height and weight limits. A Grand Go-ahead Policy Julius Vogel, the premier and colonial treasurer, appreciated that settlement was confined to coastal lands because of inadequate transport, and ("before Lord Keynes was born") propounded a "grand go-ahead policy" to dispel the slump with increased government expe ...
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Lyttelton Harbour
Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is a major inlet on the northwest side of Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, New Zealand; the other major inlet is Akaroa Harbour, which enters from the southern side of the peninsula. Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō enters from the northern coast of the peninsula, heading in a predominantly westerly direction for approximately from its mouth to the aptly-named Head of the Bay near Teddington, New Zealand, Teddington. The harbour sits in an eroded caldera of the ancient Banks Peninsula Volcano, the steep sides of which form the Port Hills on its northern shore. The harbour's main population centre is Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton, which serves the main port to the nearby city of Christchurch, linked with Christchurch by the single-track Lyttelton rail tunnel (opened 1867), a two lane road tunnel (opened 1964) and two roads over the Port Hills. Diamond Harbour, New Zealand, Diamond Harbour lies to the sou ...
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