KiwiRail contractor stood down over ‘faulty’ track welding, working for organisation after retraining
KiwiRail temporarily stood down a contractor earlier this year due to “faulty” track welding in Auckland, including the City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel, but is now using them again after retraining. An Official Information Act request revealed the contractor had “serious” defective work, with significantly higher than ordinary failure rates in both Parnell and CRL tunnels. KiwiRail states there was no public risk as no trains were running, and permanent fixes have been implemented, with ongoing testing of the contractor's other work.
Why it matters
This raises concerns about public safety in critical infrastructure projects and the oversight of contractors, highlighting the balance between remediation and maintaining operational efficiency. It also underscores the importance of transparency regarding public safety and infrastructure costs.
RNZ can reveal the contractor also carried out "serious" defective work in a City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel around the same time. Photo / RNZ, Yiting Lin
Factual reporting on an incident involving a public utility and contractor, based on official information.
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