KiwiRail welcomes today’s announcement on the next steps for new Cook Strait ferries and the certainty it gives to Interislander’s regular passengers and freight customers.

“It is pleasing that the Government has chosen to invest in the future of Cook Strait ferry services by deciding to procure two brand new ships, which will safeguard  reliability into the future,” KiwiRail Chief Executive Peter Reidy says.

“The specifications that the Government has indicated mean the ships will be larger than the current ships, so there will be room for future growth.

“We note that rail-enabled ships are still an option. However, if the new ships are not rail-enabled, we will be able to continue to efficiently move rail freight across Cook Strait in the same way we do now when our only rail-enabled ship, Aratere, is unavailable.  

“Until the new ships arrive, Interislander will continue providing a reliable and safe Cook Strait service with our current ferries. They are the workhorses of Cook Strait, together carrying more than 620,000 passengers, 230,000 cars and 73,000 commercial vehicles a year, along with rail freight.”

Last financial year, Interislander’s reliability (services delivered compared to planned services) was at 96 per cent. On time performance (running to timetable) was 86 per cent. For the past four months, reliability has been close to 100 per cent and last week we carried a record number of trucks, moving more than 2000 in the week.

“Between now and the new ships arriving, KiwiRail will work with all parties to support the procurement and smooth introduction of the new ferries when they are ready to enter service for our customers.”