Today the Otago Daily Times’ Allison Rudd has an important story where a former Kiwirail senior engineer has spoken out about the mistakes and failures of the decisions to purchase the cheapest locomotives and rolling stock and the impact it will have on New Zealand rail for decades.
It’s time more people spoke out. And it’s time that the board of Kiwirail and the Ministers that have directed their deeply flawed policies becomes accountable to New Zealanders.
KiwiRail bought 1970s technology when it bought new locomotives from China, but now has an opportunity to put matters right, one of its former long-serving senior engineers says.
It was “baffling” KiwiRail had ordered the type of locomotives it did, Randall Prestidge, who worked for KiwiRail for more than 34 years and headed the fleet performance team until he took voluntary redundancy last year, said yesterday.
“These locomotives [are] very similar to DX locomotive technology of the 1970s,” Mr Prestidge said.
… he said KiwiRail should make sure it did not buy the same technology again.
“They are thinking old and small and not thinking into the new century.”
He said he had tried to discuss his views with KiwiRail but “no-one wanted to listen” and he had decided to go public.
“I didn’t want to be disloyal to KiwiRail. I didn’t want to bag them in public. I wanted to help.
“I’m saying they . . . must change their ways. But I know in my heart they are not going to.”
The reason why the new locomotives (DL ) are similar to the 70s technology ( DX) that Kiwirail have is because they are most likely copied, either by agreement or more likely stolen technology !
Should be good news for the union dominated workforce – it will allow them to advance their thinking into the 70”s. Any further advancement and they would be complaining they didn’t recognize the technology.
Ok Clare, being the locomotive expert you are, what should they have purchased?
The Locomotives themselves may be a small part of the consideration.
Our capability to make and service has been damaged severely but the offshore supply contract.
The real cost to NZ long term is far greater than any perceived short term saving.
The further damage to our mindset and confidence to be self determining continues as years of successful operation are snuffed out. Who is making a buck behind the scene.
How ridiculous. We lack the infrastructure or demand for KiwiRail services to justify purchasing top of the range rolling stock.
While you’re at it, you might as well buy a lamborghini to drive down your unsealed driveway to the mailbox and back.
Did we consult with the Japanese who have one of the most sophisticated rail systems in the world.
China are just coming out of Third World status, unfortunately we have members of Government getting involved in commercial decisions.
Having dealt with the Japanese for the last 35 years, I would trust Japanese technology b4 Chinese.
Japan have shifted alot of their production to China however they closely monitor production and quality control, obviously we did not learn anything from the FONTERRA/SANLU EXPERIENCE with Dairy Products.
Hopefully John Key will learn from his mistakes, in business you get what you pay for.
If you pay peanuts you get monkeys,
You get what you pay for, the enduring impact of selling off the rail system reminds why we must not sell assets. 21st century prices for a 19th century service which is utterrly unreliable mean people will continue to rely on cars
Perhaps they could have used a public private partnership (like the Brazilian stimulus packaging Clare was so keen on?)
NZ Govt take note “@rnz_news: Stimulus package announced by Brazil bit.ly/PF0Pei”
I have dealt with pretty much every industrialised company in Asia and the Subcontinent in business, and while you need to do due diligence on suppliers (as you should with ANY supplier regardless of being domestic or international), if you choose wisely there are not problems.
Once again none of the xenophobia is quantified or qualified, I’m starting to wonder if Winston Peters is writing some of this?
I can see the nat luddites have been posting here. 3 phase locos give cheaper life cycle costs and more starting tractive effort. So well trained that when somebody suggests a real productivity increase they get ignored (rather than use the phrase as a smokescreen to keep wages down : let us see productivity increases applied to lawyers). Like Randall I work in the industry and know of potential suppliers for 3 phase locos….and we know CNR have always delivered problems to nz…but they are dumping and this decision probably came from above jim quinn (steve and john).
We have a Government and a business community sadly lacking in the necessary skill set to make sound rational economic decisions in the best interest of the country and it’s people.
Let’s kiss the Power Companies goodbye, and let China control our energy supply.
We will be b*ggared then.
GOD SAVE NEW ZEALAND PLEASE!!!