KiwiRail gets upgraded e-locomotive

A 35-year-old EF electric locomotive has been refurbished to become the first of its kind in New Zealand’s rail sector.

Twenty-two 3000kW electric locomotives were built in England and introduced to New Zealand’s electrified main trunk line between Hamilton and Palmerston North in about 1987 to carry freight – about 15 of them being upgraded over the next two years.

“The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, greener, and more efficient for now and future generations to come. Rail is a key component of the system and is well suited to efficiently moving large volumes over long distances,” says transport minister Michael Wood.

He says $35 million was provided by the Government to deliver the refurbishment, extending the life of KiwiRail’s fully electric EF locomotive fleet for at least another 10 years.

“These locomotives are around 35 years old, and as with any machine that age, they have some challenges. The easy thing would have been to get rid of them and just use diesel locomotives on the line. But that would have been a wasted opportunity,” Wood says.

“Instead, KiwiRail has worked with local businesses to replace key components and have their electronic systems modernised, significantly improving their performance and reliability.

“I look forward to seeing the fleet progressively refurbished and returned to service over the next two years.”

Budget 22 saw a further $349 million investment, completing a commitment through previous budgets to replace KiwiRail’s aging locomotives, wagons and upgrade its mechanical facilities.

“This latest investment allows KiwiRail to buy up to 29 more lower-emissions locomotives and 140 specialist wagons to help us move more freight by rail, reducing emissions and congestion,” says Wood.

“We have made significant investments in our national rail network, with $5.8 billion committed since 2018 to lift the network to a resilient and reliable standard through the Rail Network Investment Programme, and for separate improvement projects like electrification between Papakura and Pukekohe and reopening the Napier to Wairoa line.”

State owned enterprises minister David Clark says the refurbished locomotives will continue rail’s low emissions and their improved reliability will allow them to be used more often – helping get more freight onto rail.

“This investment builds on our government’s firm commitment to rail,” Clark adds.

“We are continuing to support the restoration of the national rail network, to improve its resilience and to support rail freight and metropolitan commuter rail growth.”

An upgrade of the EF class locomotives, sometimes described as ‘Toasters’ because of their shape, was held in 1993 and 1994, the 20 remaining locomotives then getting improved transformers and overhauled traction motors, according to Wikipedia which outlines their history.

It says only eight EF locos remained in service by late 2019, and that KiwiRail initially hoped to complete refurbishment of 15 EF engines in 2023 but now expects the last to be done in 2024.