Peters Winston: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 20 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7338. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister of Transport: What discussions has the National-led Government had with KiwiRail about plans for railways in Northland?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Transport): I meet with KiwiRail regularly and I discuss ways to improve the productivity of the rail network around New Zealand—that of course includes Northland. In short KiwiRail considers that the Northland line’s economics are challenging. This is because almost 99 percent of Northland’s freight and 100 percent of its passenger travel is carried on the roads. That said there are of course two return services per day 5 days a week between Auckland and Whangarei moving mainly dairy and forestry products. There are no plans to change that.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Has he raised with his caucus colleague Todd McClay the Minister responsible for KiwiRail or with KiwiRail itself any concerns about the level of maintenance or lack of it on the Whangarei to Auckland rail line; if not why not?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: No because of course we are investing very significantly in KiwiRail—indeed $400 million over 2 years is the biggest single itemin Vote Transport and some $3 billion will go into rail infrastructure. So I think this Government has a very proud record with infrastructure investment in rail.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If that is true has he been made aware of the number of sections on the Whangarei to Auckland rail line that require trains to reduce their speed to just 5 kilometres per hour?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: In fact I think the networks in Northland are goodoverall—in the sense that the roading is working well. We have got very significant investments as the member well knows—Pūhoi to Wellsford not to mention bridges coming in that area. What is also true with KiwiRail and I come back to it is that we are investing significantly in that business.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it the Government’s intention to close the rail line going up north from Auckland?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: As I say there are no plans to do that.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If that is true Minister why are private businesses in discussion to metal the Portland railway shunt lines and to upgrade and tarseal a private feeder road to take over logging transport currently supplied by rail?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: As I say the basic issue here is a lack of demand on rail with 99 percent of freight choosing to go by road. So as I saidin my primary answer I think very candidly that is why KiwiRail considers the Northland line’s economics to be very challenging. That said there are no plans to close it.Rt Hon Winston Peters: When many of the logs to the Marusumi chip mill in Portland used to come from Dargaville to Whangarei and out to Portland but have stopped because that line has been shut down and today 50 percent of the logs still come by rail why on earth would that shunt line be closed down and metal taking its place?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I think the fundamental point is—I think it is right that the member raises itas the local member—around the capacity and the constraints in and out of Northland for the produce and the various things in that area. As I say I think the network is actually performing very welloverall but it will get much better when we invest billions of dollars in the Pūhoi to Wellsford area.