The Government has finalised a $1.360 billion Rail Network Investment Programme for 2024/25 to 2026/27, locking in three years of maintenance, renewals and operations across the national rail network.

Rail Minister Winston Peters framed the package as a “no-nonsense rebuild” focused on day‑to‑day work that keeps freight moving, including re‑sleepering and re‑railing, ballast replacement, culvert enlargements, bridge and slope protection, and upgrades to telecommunications and signalling.

Alongside the renewals, the programme includes a business case to assess extending electrification within the so‑called “golden triangle” of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga. The plan also notes ongoing investment in new train control centres in Upper Hutt and Auckland designed for continuity in a major event.

Peters said “we have secured rail ferries for another generation”. No further detail on the ferry plan was provided in the release.

Regional highlights in the programme include:

• Upper North Island: Traction asset renewals at 32 sites on the electrified northern section of the North Island Main Trunk; fibre‑optic replacement between Waikato and Tauranga; Westfield and Mount Maunganui yard renewals; and a study on extending electrification in the Auckland–Hamilton–Tauranga corridor.
• Northland and Auckland: Targeted re‑sleepering and re‑railing, turnout replacements, and culvert and bridge renewals.
• Central North Island: Bridge, culvert and slope works on western lines through Taranaki/Manawatū‑Whanganui; traction renewals at 21 sites on the southern electrified section of the Main Trunk; active protection upgrades and reseals at level crossings across several regions; resilience work on the Ormondville Viaduct in Hawke’s Bay.
• Wellington: Targeted track and telecom renewals.
• Marlborough/North Canterbury: Coastal protection between Claverley and Oaro, bridge renewals including near Picton, and work around tunnel portals.
• West Coast and Midland Line: Ongoing renewals in the 8.5km Otira Tunnel, resignalling between Kokiri and Stillwater, and bridge renewals across both the Midland and Stillwater–Ngakawau lines.
• South Island east coast: Multiple bridge renewals north of Dunedin, extensive re‑sleepering and re‑railing in Otago/Southland, and turnout and level crossing renewals in South Canterbury.

Across all regions, KiwiRail’s track teams will also carry out minor renewals, component refurbishments, ballast top‑ups, rail de‑stressing and grinding.

The RNIP is the three‑year funding framework established in 2020 to treat rail like roads for the purposes of public investment, with a focus on maintenance, renewals and network operations.