Bigger Cook Strait ferries mean kilometre-long trains will be rolling through Waitohi/Picton and other small towns, blocking traffic and puffing emissions.
The Marlborough Sounds township of Picton is wondering if it might be easier to thread a camel through the eye of a needle. New, larger ferries on order will see trains grow by 10 wagons more than now, meaning 40-wagon trains of about 850 metres long.
The state-owned rail and Interislander ferry operator, KiwiRail says longer trains will mean clearer roads because of fewer trucks and – indirectly – lower greenhouse gas emissions.
But the shunts used to haul freight through Picton are diesel-powered, until KiwiRail can find a suitable low-carbon option in line with its stated carbon reduction goals.
Picton is indicative of a wider problem faced by railroad towns nationwide. Sections of the rail corridor through the country may need to be widened and could encroach closer to adjacent properties. Changes are also needed to manage increased waits at rail crossings and other expected transport impacts.
KiwiRail acting chief operating officer for capital projects and asset development Stephen O’Keefe, says details are still being worked through on train movements in and out of Picton once the new ferries are in service, including the length of the trains, which currently average between 25 and 30 wagons.
Picton is a major passenger and freight connector for the country. It is a coffee stop, a destination or a drive-through for more than a million passengers transiting Cook Strait each year on the Interislander alone. Several hundred thousand more travel on the Bluebridge service.
Expansion planning is already well down the track. Work on the wharves, ferry terminal and rail yard sits with the Marlborough port company and with KiwiRail. The Marlborough District Council’s role is to respond to the impact on the township.
Neighbouring Nelson and Tasman councils have teamed up with Marlborough to elevate the “ferries” project as a priority for transport funding across the top of the South Island/Te Tauihu, through the regional transport plan.
Close to $35 million of government funding has now been earmarked for a large over bridge in Picton and other roading projects to ensure traffic runs smoothly through the township.
“The length of the trains and time it will take to do the brake-testing would mean having to shut off one of our intersections for at least an hour, up to four times a day." – Nadine Taylor, deputy mayor
Marlborough’s deputy mayor and a Picton resident, Nadine Taylor says preliminary work showed a traffic over-bridge would help solve severance problems for residents and visitors.
“The length of the trains and time it will take to do the brake-testing would mean having to shut off one of our intersections for at least an hour, up to four times a day, and the other intersection for around seven minutes for around four to six times a day.
“They’ve determined we need a large over-bridge, so we don’t face severance.”
Taylor says it would have to be a tall structure to achieve its purpose, and the council is also talking about how it might make the town look.
A Picton tourism operator says it would solve only half the problem. Paul Keating of E-Ko Tours, who would prefer the entire port shifted around the corner to Shakespeare Bay, says another over-bridge will be needed to handle the expected increase in traffic volume.
Funding for Picton’s roading project is currently in the “probable” category, meaning there’s still some way to go before it’s approved, Taylor says.
“It’s bigger than just a regional project – it’s a critical project for the future efficiency and resilience of New Zealand’s north-south freight and transport connections.”
Taylor says having it ranked as a priority across the top of the south is a major step forward.
“For the Picton and state highway road network to be ready in time to cope with the arrival of new ferries, and the disruptions and severance safety issues that will come with the longer trains, we need this funding confirmed." – Nadine Taylor
“From my point of view, getting that Waka Kotahi funding assessment moved from ‘probable’ to ‘approved’ is very important.
“For the Picton and state highway road network to be ready in time to cope with the arrival of new ferries, and the disruptions and severance safety issues that will come with the longer trains, we need this funding confirmed and the full work programme started as soon as possible.”
O’Keefe says the first new ferry arrives in 2025 and the second in 2026.
Port Marlborough, KiwiRail and the council have lodged an application with the Environmental Protection Authority for resource consent to carry out associated land and coastal marine works.
Expansion will impact territory sacred to local iwi. The Picton Foreshore Reserve is located within Te Atiawa rohe – the location of the Waitohi Pa site, formerly occupied by Te Atiawa, and a site of deep cultural significance to Te Atiawa iwi.
Efforts have been made to address this through the signing in recent months of a Kawenata, a formal relationship agreement between KiwiRail and Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Trust.
The Trust represents Te Atiawa people who whakapapa to Te Tauihu.
KiwiRail chief executive Greg Miller said at the time, it was the first formal Kawenata signed with an iwi or hapū.
The prospect of more traffic on more roads has coincided with a report on Picton’s air quality, which at times falls well below national standards.
The council wanted to know if shipping was the main protagonist, and commissioned Niwa to conduct the study.
The air quality report is to be tabled at a council meeting of October 7. While it is clear emissions from shipping contribute to the cocktail of gases which linger over Picton at certain times, the report is inconclusive as to whether they are worse than those currently emitted by trains, vehicles and household fires.
O’Keefe says the current shunts used in Picton are diesel powered but KiwiRail is exploring low-carbon options in line with its stated carbon reduction goals.
The report to council said levels of sulphur dioxide – such as that contained in the smoke often seen belching from ships’ funnels, were acceptable for more than 80 per cent of the time, but concentrations recorded at two sites were linked to ferry arrival and departure times, and when ships were visiting Picton.
Brent Yardley lives in the Marlborough Sounds, and has worked on ships' engines, and studied atmospheric pollution as part of an engineering degree.
He says the air pollution produced by ships is often trapped in the surrounding hills, and is likely to get worse, especially if a proposed cruise ship berth goes ahead next to the existing ferry terminal.
“They’ll be parking big ships very close to town."
“I hear these new ships will be less polluting which will be good because we do get a lot of smoke and smuts exhaust particles, especially in the winter.” – Barbara Speedy, Diversion Art Gallery
The Marlborough council is heartened by KiwiRail’s plans to switch its current fleet to a cleaner-burning diesel oil, ahead of the introduction of the new vessels which will generate “significantly lower emissions”.
They will be powered by a diesel-electric hybrid battery propulsion system which will lead to a 40 per cent reduction in Interislander’s carbon emissions, O’Keefe says.
When berthed, the new ferries will run off batteries connected to shore power, which means they won’t be running hungry engines to power their systems.
O’Keefe says the new ferries have been designed to accommodate extra battery capacity over time, so they will be able to run entirely on this power source, or other low-carbon fuel sources as they become commercially available.
It’s music to the ears of local businesses whose survival is largely dependent on the dollars ferry and cruise ship passengers bring. More than 40 per cent of Picton’s workforce is in accommodation, transport, rental, hiring and real estate, compared with 12.7 pe cent nationally.
The owner of Picton’s Diversion Art Gallery, Barbara Speedy says the ferries in particular drive the most trade.
She is pleased to hear about moves being made to address air quality concerns.
“I hear these new ships will be less polluting which will be good because we do get a lot of smoke and smuts [exhaust particles], especially in the winter.”
Deputy chair of Marlborough’s environment committee, David Oddie, says the rail ferry links and the roading plans are huge for Picton, but they’re slowly being resolved.
“The world is changing and industry realises it has to do better.”
