KiwiRail’s new maintenance hub in Christchurch is officially open.  

The Waltham Maintenance Hub will provide a more modern environment for maintenance to be carried out on locomotives, wagons and passenger carriages used across the South Island.  

It will allow work to be done on 24 different assets at the same time, and has electronic safety systems to protect staff from any unplanned rail movements.  

The first of KiwiRail’s new DM locomotives were also on display at the official opening of the hub last week.  

The New Zealand Government has invested $533 million for 66 DM locomotives, 47 of which will replace the aging South Island locomotive fleet. 

Four of the locomotives have entered service, with the rest to arrive in batches over the next two years. 

Minister for Rail Winston Peters said: “The Waltham hub and the DMs are a game changer for KiwiRail’s South Island operations. 

“Waltham ensures our maintenance crews have the capability to move to the preventative asset management approach needed to deliver consistent reliability of service for our customers. 

“More efficient maintenance, combined with more reliable locomotives will mean better and more timely services for our South Island customers. It is the crucial foundation that will allow us to get more of the island’s freight onto rail.”