Until the last few months KiwiRail used to promote itself as the 'Backbone of Integrated Transport Networks'. The momentum within KiwiRail appears to be changing and one wonders how flexible the backbone is or needs to be. The control of freight movement is subtly changing within New Zealand. For much of the last 150 years rail's principal competitor has been shipping, and in particular coastal shipping. Rail dealt a death blow to coastal shipping in 1962 with the introduction of their Cook Strait roll-on roll-off ferries, but after 50 years there have been major changes in shipping, and KiwiRail needs to meet the renewed challenge.
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