KiwiRail needs Govt to back electric trains

National needs to commit to the full electrification of the Main Trunk Line between Auckland and Wellington so KiwiRail can upgrade to new clean-energy electric trains, the Green Party said today.

KiwiRail is expected to reveal on Monday whether it will replace its existing fleet of electric locomotives with new electric ones, or revert back to diesel locomotives.

“It would be ridiculous to revert back to dirty diesel trains, particularly given National’s promise to move away from climate-polluting fossil fuels like diesel," said Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter.

“National needs to step up and commit to an electric rail future by completing the electrification of the Main Trunk Line.

“Part of the reason KiwiRail is even considering going back to diesel trains is because its electric trains can only go as far as Te Rapa and Palmerston North.

“National could fix this problem by funding the electrification of the Main Trunk Line, but instead it’s choosing to prioritise billion dollar, low-value motorways like the ‘holiday highway’ from Puhoi to Wellsford.

“National is willing to spend almost seven times more on the ‘holiday highway’ alone than it spends each year on investing in the rail network.

“Countries around the world are moving towards electric transport. It would be embarrassing if the National Government decided to go backwards and replace clean-energy trains with polluting diesel ones,” said Ms Genter.

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing Aotearoa. Volu...

Action

Save Auckland's Climate Budget

Sign the petition to stop Mayor Wayne Brown's proposal for dangerous cuts to climate and environmental programmes that protect us from extreme weat...

Action

No New Mines 2023

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Trains for Climate

Add your name to our open letter urging the Minister for Finance Grant Robertson to save our passenger trains between Wellington, the Wairarapa and...

Action

Healthy Oceans 2022

Join our Healthy Oceans Crew to help us keep the health and protection of our oceans high on the Labour Government’s political agenda.

Action

It's time: A Ministry for Rainbow Communities

Join our call asking the Prime Minister to establish a Ministry for Rainbow Communities that can champion Rainbow issues.

Action

No new mines on conservation land

Sign the open letter asking Labour Ministers to stick to their promise of banning new mining projects on conservation land.

Action

Allow community ownership of our buses

Public transport is an essential service and helps to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon emissions. But there are barriers to communi...

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Climate Change Announcements

Story

Greens launch petition to save oil and gas ban

The Green Party has launched a petition to save the ban on oil and gas exploration.

Green voice crucial for climate action

The Green Party is today welcoming Labour’s climate manifesto, but is clear that much more will need to be done to tackle the climate crisis.

Climate future of communities on the line this election

Green Party co leader James Shaw attended a South Dunedin Future street meeting today to discuss local responses to climate change.

National’s climate pledge a joke

Today’s pledge from the National Party to deliver net zero carbon by 2050 is a bad-faith, disingenuous, and empty promise.

National needs to come clean about climate cuts

The National Party needs to come clean about the impact of its plan to raid the climate budget and cancel $2 billion of investment in action to cut...

New $750m fund part of Climate-Safe Communities plan to protect towns and cities from flooding

The Green Party has today announced a Climate-Safe Communities plan to both cut emissions and protect our communities from the impact of climate ch...

Story

National put climate action into reverse gear

The National Party’s plan to install EV chargers while at the same time making it harder for people to buy an EV is bizarre and ridiculous.

Prioritising roads over climate is simply irresponsible

The Government’s decision today to prioritise new roads is the exact opposite of what Aotearoa needs right now and needs a rethink.

Irresponsible Auckland harbour crossing bad for climate and bad for congestion

Throwing tens of billions of dollars at another six lanes of traffic is not going to solve Auckland’s congestion problem - and is grossly irrespons...

It’s official! The Green Party the only grown-ups in the room on public transport

People are tired of the three yearly public transport merry-go-round. It literally doesn’t get anyone anywhere.

National’s transport policy rehash of failed ideas

The National Party's visionless obsession with highways is the exact opposite of the smart investment Aotearoa needs in zero-emissions transport in...

ACT policy will create roads exclusively for the well-off

ACT’s proposal for private highways will see only those who can afford to pay expensive tolls able to use the roads.