Mainfreight is one of the best freight businesses (we are a customer) and its Managing Director, Don Braid is one of the industry's best thinkers. As reported last week in the National Business Review, Mainfreight is already a major user of rail and is investing in a new terminal in Wellington beside the railyards near the ferry terminal. Its existing site in Wellington at Gracefield was not as well located for rail.
"By being located centrally in Wellington by the railyards, we will be able to use rail in and out to the South Island and to and from the North Island," Don Braid said. "It is a big change for us. Absolutely it will increase the amount of freight Mainfreight puts on rail."
Mr Braid said it was also important that wagons could be shunted on and off ferries. Cook Strait ferries are traditionally rail capable but Australian owner Toll Holdings introduced a non-rail capable ferry when it owned Tranz Rail, and Bluebridge ferries are also not rail capable.
"We want to move more freight by rail and this gives us a quicker transit across the strait. But they must run ferries that can take rail wagons because we need that continuity," Mr Braid said. It was a stupid decision to introduce container ships on the Cook Strait.
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