NEW ZEALAND transport minister, Mr Simeon Brown, opened the new Auckland rail operations centre (ROC) on March 14.
The new facility, that becomes fully operational later this month, brings together staff from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail, who will work in close proximity to improve service reliability for Auckland commuter services.
“Recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ensure that Auckland commuters are getting to where they need to be on time,” Brown says.
“By bringing agencies together in one centre, I expect to see them working much more closely and collaboratively to provide reliable and predictable metro rail services.”
He describes significant service disruptions in recent years as “unacceptable” and says that as a result the federal government will be reviewing the Metropolitan Rail Operating Model (MROM) to improve metro rail services in Auckland and Wellington.
“The MROM hasn’t been updated in nearly 15 years, and metro rail has grown in scale and complexity over that time,” he says. “Reviewing the MROM will allow us to develop a more sustainable funding model, including who pays for what, and ensure that services and infrastructure are more focused on delivering a reliable service for passengers.”
