Hughes Darren: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hughes Darren: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:652;Page:1623] 
6.  
Hon DARREN HUGHES (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: What reports if any has he seen on the priority that business accords to investment in rail? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance) 
: 
 There are some positive reports including one from the New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development but the most interesting support has come from the General Secretary of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union Wayne Butson who welcomed the Government’s announcement of a $115 million investment in rail as “a major boost for the rail system”. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: When the Minister was making that announcement and saying there would be cutbacks to the rail programme announced by Labour does that mean he is reverting to KiwiRail’s view which is that without taxpayer investment at least a dozen rail lines would have been closed in provincial and regional New Zealand; if not can he tell the House which rail lines he considers to be marginal? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: Labelling Labour’s press releases as a programme for investment is dignifying it somewhat. Labour did make a large number of undertakings about rail that amounted to billions of dollars and there was about $120 million allocated to fund that 
David Bennett 
: What reports has the Minister seen on alternative approaches to the funding of rail? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I have now after some months of digging with the assistance of the Minister of Transport seen reports that the unfunded commitments to KiwiRail and suburban rail networks by the previous Government were close to $3 billion. This Government has already made a start on an investment which we believe makes sense of $115 million and we have yet to see whether the other almost $3 billion does make sense. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Why has no new funding for rail projects been included in any of the economic stimulus measures to help business when projects such as lowering the floor of the tunnels along the Kapiti coast would boost freight services and electrifying the line from Waikanae to Palmerston North would boost passenger services? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: The Government has been I think understandably reluctant to commit to investments that were made by press release from the Labour Government and has set out to untangle the shambles that is KiwiRail after the Government’s very expensive purchase. 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: Will the Minister ensure that the following lines are kept open in provincial and rural New Zealand: the Overlander passenger service the main trunk line from Te Kuiti to Palmerston North the lines in Northland Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay the line from Napier to Gisborne the Wairarapa line and the lines from Picton to Christchurch Greymouth to Hokitika Invercargill to Bluff and Invercargill to Wairio—can he confirm that those lines will be kept open? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I cannot even attempt to answer that question. I have simply been told that the new Government has to write out a cheque for $130 million for KiwiRail when we have no idea and it has no idea what it is to be used for. 
Hon Members 
: Rubbish! 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The honourable members’ colleague is trying to ask a question. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: Was the Minister aware when the Government approved the purchase of Chinese locomotives that of 20 of the same model bought 8 years ago by Malaysia only five are now running compared with all 20 of the German locomotives that were bought by that country at the same time; if he was aware why did he do that when they could have been assembled at the Hutt Railway Workshops using the same German engines as are going to be used by the Chinese? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: No.