by David Benton
Quite perceptive of you , Philip, Many have questioned the same thing in New Zealand railfan circles. There will be a "SMALL" number of direct job losses, electric catenary control etc , some specialist maintenance fitters for the EF fleet. but I think what the union wanted was for the EF locomotives to be rebuilt in the Hutt workshops, NZ's last big railway workshop. It seems these workshops may be under threat , because new diesels won't need as much service as old ones, and the EF rebuild would have delayed that.
Other than that , perhaps the union saw the publicity the transport minister was getting from his purchase of 2 new leectric cars, and decided to jump on the bandwagon. It is also a slow news time in NZ , most people are on holiday , and they will cover any story fed to them .
Other than that , perhaps the union saw the publicity the transport minister was getting from his purchase of 2 new leectric cars, and decided to jump on the bandwagon. It is also a slow news time in NZ , most people are on holiday , and they will cover any story fed to them .
Moderator worldwide railfan , Rail travel & trip reports
The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.
The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.