Name: Reviving NZ regional rail through community engagement
Uploaded: 2023-11-03T02:27:05.955Z
Duration: 314.62
Description: Arnaud Deutsch, WSP's technical rail advisor based in NZ, discusses the long-overdue revival of regional rail in New Zealand, highlighting the pressing need for investment to combat carbon emissions and empower communities. He emphasizes grassroots efforts and cooperative initiatives driving this change, with the potential for a thriving ecosystem of rail-related businesses and communities.

Arnaud Deutsch 2.mp4

Arnaud Deutsch.vtt

Subtitles

{{00:00:11}}
Well, I'd say that demand
has always been there.

{{00:00:13}}
It's just that for several decades,
we've underinvested in regional rail.

{{00:00:18}}
We're now having a situation where
the communities are realizing that

{{00:00:23}}
a road centric transport system
is just not equitable and will

{{00:00:27}}
not help us decarbonize transport.

{{00:00:34}}
The Greater Wellington Regional
Council is currently investing

{{00:00:38}}
probably up to 700 million dollars
into a new fleet of regional rail.

{{00:00:43}}
This will be the first investment
in regional rail in New Zealand.

{{00:00:48}}
There has not been any new fleet purchased
for the purpose of regional rail in New

{{00:00:53}}
Zealand for more than three decades.

{{00:00:56}}
And we still believe that as a first step
forward, it will create opportunities

{{00:01:03}}
for other regions in New Zealand to
actually get on board and revive regional

{{00:01:09}}
rail for their communities as well.

{{00:01:17}}
Regional rail is really
there to serve communities.

{{00:01:21}}
The first step in any good planning
process here is to actually understand

{{00:01:25}}
those communities whom life will
be changed by the investment.

{{00:01:30}}
We see a lot of our rural areas being
depopulated, simply by the fact that

{{00:01:37}}
people do not trust the system in place
to benefit their family in the future.

{{00:01:49}}
New Zealand is constrained
like many countries.

{{00:01:53}}
The challenge of decarbonizing transport
is very costly and very disruptive.

{{00:01:59}}
For regional rail to actually
progress, we need to prioritize

{{00:02:04}}
it in front of other investments.

{{00:02:07}}
Unfortunately in the past, we've had to
tackle some very significant challenges

{{00:02:12}}
that basically led the investment
to move away from regional rail.

{{00:02:16}}
The first thing to do now is to review
these priorities and decide how we will

{{00:02:22}}
invest in an inter regional investment
towards regional rail and therefore revive

{{00:02:28}}
the central North Island communities.

{{00:02:38}}
What's really interesting in New
Zealand right now is that the central

{{00:02:42}}
government has not been the factor that
led to the revival of regional rail.

{{00:02:49}}
It is very much the communities
that have identified the need.

{{00:02:52}}
We have rural communities, we have  local
councils and regional councils that have a

{{00:02:58}}
very clear picture on how an investment in
a rail service would radically change the

{{00:03:04}}
development of some of their townships.

{{00:03:07}}
So we see a number of
initiatives being developed.

{{00:03:10}}
In the golden triangle, we see
a lot of people coming together,

{{00:03:15}}
forming cooperatives that are looking
really at creating opportunities

{{00:03:21}}
for investment in regional rail.

{{00:03:23}}
But thanks to a central government
investment, we now have a first

{{00:03:28}}
project that's being financed for the
Greater Wellington Regional Council.

{{00:03:35}}
And we all hope that this first
step will help move the momentum up.

{{00:03:46}}
Regional rail is obviously considered
right now in New Zealand as a

{{00:03:51}}
zero tailpipe emission system.

{{00:03:54}}
So everyone is looking at
modern technology, battery

{{00:03:59}}
operated trains, electric trains
that are not emitting carbon.

{{00:04:05}}
But the most important thing is that
investing in regional rail is going to

{{00:04:10}}
shift the focus away from personal cars.

{{00:04:14}}
And it is really this mode shift, the fact
that people will decide on a daily basis

{{00:04:19}}
to actually use a train rather than their
car that will reduce carbon emissions.

{{00:04:30}}
The ongoing maintenance and operation
of rail services is often misunderstood.

{{00:04:37}}
We have a great opportunity in New
Zealand when we see these communities

{{00:04:41}}
taking in their hands those initiatives
around regional rail to also understand

{{00:04:46}}
better how they will be operated,
how we will come up to the challenges

{{00:04:52}}
of workforce, skill sets, training.

{{00:04:56}}
But eventually, all this creating or
reviving an ecosystem of companies,

{{00:05:03}}
businesses and communities that can
look after the services in the future.

Well, I'd say that demand
has always been there.

It's just that for several decades,
we've underinvested in regional rail.

We're now having a situation where
the communities are realizing that

a road centric transport system
is just not equitable and will

The Greater Wellington Regional
Council is currently investing

probably up to 700 million dollars
into a new fleet of regional rail.

This will be the first investment
in regional rail in New Zealand.

There has not been any new fleet purchased
for the purpose of regional rail in New

And we still believe that as a first step
forward, it will create opportunities

for other regions in New Zealand to
actually get on board and revive regional

Regional rail is really
there to serve communities.

The first step in any good planning
process here is to actually understand

those communities whom life will
be changed by the investment.

We see a lot of our rural areas being
depopulated, simply by the fact that

people do not trust the system in place
to benefit their family in the future.

New Zealand is constrained
like many countries.

The challenge of decarbonizing transport
is very costly and very disruptive.

For regional rail to actually
progress, we need to prioritize

Unfortunately in the past, we've had to
tackle some very significant challenges

that basically led the investment
to move away from regional rail.

The first thing to do now is to review
these priorities and decide how we will

invest in an inter regional investment
towards regional rail and therefore revive

What's really interesting in New
Zealand right now is that the central

government has not been the factor that
led to the revival of regional rail.

It is very much the communities
that have identified the need.

We have rural communities, we have  local
councils and regional councils that have a

very clear picture on how an investment in
a rail service would radically change the

So we see a number of
initiatives being developed.

In the golden triangle, we see
a lot of people coming together,

forming cooperatives that are looking
really at creating opportunities

But thanks to a central government
investment, we now have a first

project that's being financed for the
Greater Wellington Regional Council.

And we all hope that this first
step will help move the momentum up.

Regional rail is obviously considered
right now in New Zealand as a

So everyone is looking at
modern technology, battery

operated trains, electric trains
that are not emitting carbon.

But the most important thing is that
investing in regional rail is going to

And it is really this mode shift, the fact
that people will decide on a daily basis

to actually use a train rather than their
car that will reduce carbon emissions.

The ongoing maintenance and operation
of rail services is often misunderstood.

We have a great opportunity in New
Zealand when we see these communities

taking in their hands those initiatives
around regional rail to also understand

better how they will be operated,
how we will come up to the challenges

But eventually, all this creating or
reviving an ecosystem of companies,

businesses and communities that can
look after the services in the future.

Connect Rail

Expert Insight

Arnaud Deutsch, WSP's technical rail advisor based in NZ, discusses the long-overdue revival of regional rail in New Zealand, highlighting the pressing need for investment to combat carbon emissions and empower communities. He emphasizes grassroots efforts and cooperative initiatives driving this change, with the potential for a thriving ecosystem of rail-related businesses and communities.