New Zealand news - 08/03/2015

New Zealand’s railway to close?

New Zealand’s Treasury has published a report which floats the possibility of closing all but one section of the country’s rail freight network.

Global Rail News,

13 July, 2015

KiwiRail undertook a nine-month review of its business to try and identify opportunities to reduce costs associated with the operation of its freight network.

The subsequent report suggested that “as a result of the high fixed costs and interdependence of revenue between the different network segments, it is challenging to reduce costs as fast or to the same extent as a reduction in revenue.”

This gave KiwiRail two options:

• to retain most of the freight network and rationalise unprofitable services and some lines on the fringes of the network, or

• to close most or all of the freight network, with the option of retaining the upper north island section only (Auckland to Hamilton to Tauranga) as this part of the network carries the most freight volumes and covers most of its costs.

While KiwiRail naturally wants funding to continue, the Treasury believes there is a net economic cost of continuing to fund rail at the levels required. It is therefore requesting a more comprehensive study be undertaken so the implications of closure can be better understood and to enable the Government to make the most informed choice possible.

The comprehensive study should be public, and at arms’ length from the Government. The Treasury has therefore recommended a one-year funding commitment for KiwiRail whilst this process is undertaken.

However, the Treasury continued that, in the event that closure or partial closure is not pursued, Treasury supports a three-year funding commitment for KiwiRail on the basis that it needs certainty to manage its business.

So it sounds as though a decision has been delayed, but things don’t look rosy for a large part of New Zealand’s railway network.

Of course they'll push this deal through if they can. It was never about dairy, but about signing way this coutnry's sovereignty.

We'll get a comfortable TPP dairy deal - Key

Prime Minister John Key is confident New Zealand will get a free trade deal it is comfortable with and good access into some big markets.

Radio NZ,

3 August, 2015

Four days of talks to finalise the Trans-Pacific Partnership stalled at the weekend after the 12 Pacific Rim countries trying to seal the trade pact failed to reach agreement.

It is understood dairy, car exports and intellectual property were the three main stumbling blocks.

Listen to John Key on Morning Report ( 5 min 1 sec )

Mr Key told Morning Report he is confident New Zealand will be able to secure a deal on dairy that the sector could live with and a good deal on everything else.

"I don't think New Zealand's ever going to be left out ... we won't get everything we want but no country is - but we are going to get something that I think over time will be very beneficial to New Zealand exporters."

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a set of trade and investment negotiations among 12 Asia-Pacific countries to cut tariffs and improve access to markets.

Tim Groser   Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

Trade Minister Tim Groser said progress had been made on negotiations but market access for dairy products was a sticking point.

"It was immensely frustrating for me, for the 15 New Zealanders and officials and experts from the agencies and for the industry leaders who were with me ... We were just saying 'sorry, we're not with you guys, this is one third of our exports, you can't just impose this at the end'."

When asked if there was enough in the TPP to make it worth New Zealand's while, Mr Groser said: "Oh there's a hell of a lot in it and I'll be able to prove my point when I can actually take the covers off and show what our negotiators have got."

Mr Groser said he understood the demand for transparency, but it was not practical during trade talks.

Opposition concerned about TPP concessions

Labour leader Andrew Little said it was almost inevitable there would be a deal, but he questioned at what cost.

"The risk is that we get to a point in a few weeks or months time and our Government feels the need to be part of a concluded deal irrespective of the quality of it."

The deal was not worth being part of unless New Zealand got better dairy access, the impact of extending pharmaceutical rights was limited and the country retained its sovereignty, Mr Little said.

Andrew Little    Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

Green Party spokesperson for trade, Russel Norman, said he was not surprised the latest talks failed, given the complicated nature of the negotiations.

"All New Zealanders should be worried about the concessions that the New Zealand Government in its desperation is trying to make.

"These are concessions that could have significant downstream effects for many years and are very hard to overturn."

A long-time opponent of the TPP, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, said he would not support something he had not seen.

"If this deal was the best thing since sliced bread they would have told us what the terms were," he said.

He said New Zealand First would not accept investor-dispute provisions, which allow multinational companies to sue governments if they lose profits as a result of new domestic regulations.

Meanwhile, Mr Groser said when it came to trade negotiations, "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed".

The next round of talks is expected to take place in a few weeks.

Forget about 'journalism'. Here we have the spectacle of two corrupt, despicable individuals having a pow-wow – one playing the role of journalist; the other PM

AUDIO: Prime Minister John Key - TPP, NZ First and UN security council

To listen to audio GO HERE

Donbass restores destoyed rail link

This is a huge achievement, is it not?

Donetsk-Lugansk rail service restored after 8 months

Fort Russ,

31 March, 2015

Translated by Kristina Rus

There are good news, which somehow went unnoticed. But actually it is very important. Because it marks a new life of Donbass, its rebirth. The first steps of peaceful development.

I am very glad that the rail service between Donetsk and Lugansk has been restored. I remember when I was in Novorossia, in order to get to Donetsk from Lugansk and Alchevsk, we had to loop around narrow bypass trails in the dark of the night in a minivan - from checkpoint to checkpoint. Hoping that we won't make the wrong turn and stumble on the ukro-punishers. :) Under the seat layed the two "Mukhi", on the seat - the AK. The feeling was unforgettable. But now Debaltsevo is free. And the direct way is open.

"On March 28 from Yasinovataya-Passazhirskaya station departed the first train in 8 months, connecting Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. It departs 3 times a week through the stations Yenakiyevo, Debaltsevo, Rudakova and 14 other settlements with the last stop in Lugansk at 13.30."

And this is not a small thing. This is a huge, hard work of thousands of people. And those who freed Debaltsevo, and those who restored the rail communications and power lines.

"In response to another statement of the ATO spokesman Lysenko that UAF will leave us a "lunar surface", and as directed by the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, we are ready to lay the railway on the "lunar surface", which is left after the Ukrainian army."

Another derailment

Train Derails in Greenup County, Ky.

GREENUP COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) -- Emergency crews were at the scene of a train derailment late Monday night in the South Shore area along U.S. 23.

As many as five railroad cars went off the tracks, but they did not overturn.

Four of the cars were carrying ethanol, and one was empty, according to crews at the scene.

The derailment was reported about 8:45 p.m. Monday.

As noted, the CSX southbound train never tipped over and never leaked ethanol. HazMat crews called to the scene were able to go home early, but it was expected to be a long night for the crews working to get the cars back on track.

The cause was unknown, but there was talk among railroad crew members that temperature extremes could have played a role.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Train-Derails-in-Greenup-County-Ky-244816191.html

This should be seen in context

America's oil industry

More oil spilled from trains in 2013 than in previous 4 decades

Including major derailments in Alabama and North Dakota, more than 1.15 million gallons of crude oil was spilled from rail cars in 2013.

MSN News,

19 January, 2014

WASHINGTON — More crude oil was spilled in U.S. rail incidents last year than was spilled in the nearly four decades since the federal government began collecting data on such spills, an analysis of the data shows.

Including major derailments in Alabama and North Dakota, more than 1.15 million gallons of crude oil was spilled from rail cars in 2013, according to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

By comparison, from 1975 to 2012, U.S. railroads spilled a combined 800,000 gallons of crude oil. The spike underscores new concerns about the safety of such shipments as rail has become the preferred mode for oil producers amid a North American energy boom.

The federal data do not include incidents in Canada where oil spilled from trains. Canadian authorities estimate that more than 1.5 million gallons of crude oil spilled in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, on July 6, when a runaway train derailed and exploded, killing 47 people. The cargo originated in North Dakota.

Nearly 750,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a train on Nov. 8 near Aliceville, Ala. The train originated in North Dakota and caught fire after it derailed in a swampy area. No one was injured or killed.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration doesn’t yet have spill data from a Dec. 30 derailment near Casselton, N.D. But the National Transportation Safety Board, which is the lead investigator in that incident, estimates that more than 400,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled there. Though no one was injured or killed, the intense fire forced most of Casselton’s 2,400 residents to evacuate in subzero temperatures.

The Association of American Railroads, an industry group, estimates that railroads shipped 400,000 carloads of crude oil last year. That’s more than 11.5 billion gallons, with one tank car holding roughly 28,800 gallons.

Last year’s total spills of 1.15 million gallons means that 99.99 percent of shipments arrived without incident, close to the safety record the industry and its regulators claim about hazardous materials shipments by rail.

But until just a few years ago, railroads weren’t carrying crude oil in 80- to 100-car trains. In eight of the years between 1975 and 2009, railroads reported no spills of crude oil. In five of those years, they reported spills of one gallon or less.

In 2010, railroads reported spilling about 5,000 gallons of crude oil, according to federal data. They spilled fewer than 4,000 gallons each year in 2011 and 2012. But excluding the Alabama and North Dakota derailments, more than 11,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from trains last year.

Last week, the principal Washington regulators of crude oil shipments by rail met with railroad and oil industry representatives to discuss making changes to how crude is shipped by rail, from tank car design to operating speed to appropriate routing. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx called the meeting productive and said the group would take a comprehensive approach to improving the safety of crude-oil trains.

Foxx said the changes would be announced within the next 30 days

America's Dangerous Pipelines

The Quebec oil train derailment

Climate change fighting town savaged by runaway oil train

Paul Beckwith

Arctic News,

8 July, 2013

Early in the morning on Saturday July 6th, 2013 five locomotives and 73 tank cars carrying crude oil were parked about 12.5 km uphill (track distance) from the small idyllic Quebec town of Lac-Magantic about 100 km east of Montreal. Apparently, the sole train engineer had finished his shift and left the train (locomotives running) a few hours earlier to get some sleep in the town; the train sat unmanned awaiting the arrival of the next engineer. Something went horribly wrong; the tank cars uncoupled from the locomotives and started rolling downhill and gathering speed as they headed towards the small town.
Map 1 (from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23221939 ) shows the town location within the province of Quebec in Canada and the general route of the oil train near the town. North is upward for all of the following maps.

Map 1

Map 2 below shows a satellite image from Google Earth of the town and nearby lake.  The red vertical line is for scale, with a length representing a 15 km distance.

Map 2

Map 3 shows a closer-up view of the town. The dark pathway is the route of the train tracks crossing the town from west-north-west to the south-east. This Google Earth image is several years old, and rail cars can be seen at the time this image was obtained beyond the track curve towards the south-east. The train track forks into a northward and southward curving line where it crosses a major road.

Map 3

Map 4 shows an even closer view of the region. The yellow line of length 0.2 km indicates the scale. Buildings within the red zone that I outlined by freehand were leveled as the train jumped the track near the fork and plowed along the orange path. I marked red dots on the individual structures within the red zone of destruction, and counted about 40 buildings. Most of these buildings were completely leveled, with the exception of a few near the perimeter of the red zone that were severely damaged.

Map 4

Map 5 indicates the general location where the train was parked and uncoupled from the 5 locomotives, in the town of Nantes, for the shift change. This Google Earth image from 2012 has an elevation of 519 m above mean sea level on the tracks at the location where some train cars are seen in this older image. This location has the highest elevation and drops off to either side along the tracks as determined from Google Earth elevations.

Map 5

Thus, from Google Earth the elevation of Nantes is determined to be roughly 519 meters, while that of the derailment zone in Lac Magantic is 399 meters. From simple physics, the potential energy of the train at Nantes (PE = mgh; m=mass, g=9.81 m/s2, h= height) was converted to kinetic energy at the derailment site (KE=0.5mv2). Solving for the speed of the train the mass cancels out giving v = sqrt(2*g*h) giving a value of 48.5 m/s (175 km/hr = 109 mph) which was clearly enough to cause the derailment if correct. This speed is an upper limit value, assuming no rolling resistance or air resistance or tank car braking. The actual number is certainly somewhat lower, but the amount is difficult to calculate exactly but we will estimate it. Assuming constant acceleration of the train down the hill, the time to reach the town after starting from rest at the top of the hill is given by t = 2x/v (x=length of track between locations = 12.5 km, v = speed at bottom of hill) gives a rolling time of 515 seconds (8 minutes, 35 seconds). The average acceleration along the track path down the hill is a=v/t=0.09417 m/s2 (or about 0.96% of the acceleration due to gravity). Again, this is for the no friction case, modifications for friction will be estimated shortly.

Map 6 shows the route connecting Nantes to Lac Magantic. The rail distance is roughly 12.5 km as measured on Google Earth and indicated by the yellow lines (connecting the red point tie dots along the track), and the vertical height change is 120 meters along this path down to the derailment site. The runaway train successfully negotiated two very sharp curves. The first is at Laval-Nord (elevation 457 m, height drop from Nantes of 62 m) giving a calculated speed of 34.9 m/s (126 km/hr), a derailment here would have taken the train into forests. The second sharp curve is 0.38 km north of the lake (elevation 431 m, height drop 88 m) with a calculated speed of 41.6 m/s (150 km/hr). Failure to negotiate the second curve would have been a derailment into the forests, and would have likely spilled crude oil that would drain into the lake.

Map 6

Map 7 from this link (map http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/before-after/lac-megantic/ba.html, north is down on this map) is a sliding before-and-after image that shows the buildings that were destroyed in the derailment and explosions. The after-image is also shown below. One can count 44 pancaked tank cars piled up alongside one another. The train came from the west (right side on this image which has north pointing downward) and the lead cars traveled a distance of at least 200 meters after leaving the rails. It is unclear where the other 30 or so tank cars are, presumably they still along the track behind the derailed cars (to the right on the image below).

Map 7

Some background history/information on the town can be found in this linked article: (http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/lac-megantic-history-of-a-picturesque-quebec-forestry-town-1.1357424 ).

Quoting from this article:

“According to the (town) website, it was one of 52 municipalities in Quebec to receive a "Four Blossoms" rating from the provincial organization "Les Fleurons du Quebec," which rewards municipalities for attractive greenery. It was also ranked among the first eight municipalities in Quebec to earn a "Carbon responsible" attestation, for climate-change measures, from the Enviro-access consulting company.”
This award winning, climate change fighting town had no chance against the runaway oil train; which is an incredibly sad irony. Unfortunately, the train successfully negotiated two very sharp curves at speeds of 34.9 m/s and 41.6 m/s prior to entering the town of Lac Magantic. Derailment on either of these curves would have spared the town. In the town it derailed at roughly 48.5 m/s on a much more gradual turn crossing near or at a major road. As mentioned earlier, these speeds are upper limit speeds assuming no rolling resistance or air resistance and an on-track acceleration calculated from the basic physics of constant acceleration to be 0.96% of gravity. What is the effect of friction? If we assume a 20% reduction due to friction (rolling + aerodynamic + tank car braking) then acceleration is reduced to 0.07534 m/s2, rolling time is increased to 576 seconds, and derailment speed is reduced to 43.4 m/s (156 km/hr or 97 mph).
Still this is an incredibly fast speed that is hard to believe. Is this ridiculous? Re-examine the images (Map 7) above of the wreck zone, and observe that for more than half the train to completely derail and pancake (>44 tank cars) required an extremely high derailment speed. Going even one step further, let us now assume that there was even more friction, for example from more hydraulic braking action on the individual tank cars, such that the total frictional acceleration reduction was reduced by 50% to 0.0478 m/s2. Rolling time and derailment speed would respectively now become 723 seconds and 34.6 m/s (125 km/hr or 78 mph). I doubt this is fast enough to cause the level of pancaking and derailment distance observed, so my guess on the derailment speed would be between the two previous numbers. The train “black-box” should come out with accurate numbers after it is analyzed.
Given that train tank car transport of crude oil has increased by 28,000% in the last 5 years (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/07/lac-megantic-explosion-oil_n_3558647.html ) without a corresponding increase in safety inspections (and even cost cutting reductions) it is virtually certain that the frequency of accidents will increase. Pipelines are no answer to transporting oil, given that we are undergoing abrupt climate change. In fact, increases in the frequency, severity, and geographical regions of extreme weather events due to jet stream behavior completely changing due to rapid climate change is also greatly increasing the risk of oil transport by rail and pipeline from flooding, drought, heat waves, and extremely large temperature swings over short periods of time. In fact all infrastructure is being severely compromised by extreme weather. As the people in Calgary, Toronto, India, Europe, and many other places around the world are discovering first hand.

Quebec oil train explosion

5 dead, 40 still missing after oil train explodes near US-Canada border

Death toll could surge — Burning crude went in sewers and rose up through manholes, setting buildings on fire — City’s downtown core “almost completely destroyed”

USA Today,

8 July, 2013

The air brakes on the runaway oil train that devastated a Quebec town early Saturday had been disabled by firefighters who were called to extinguish a blaze aboard one of the locomotives 90 minutes before the disaster, the head of the railway said Monday.

The news came as authorities recovered eight more bodies from the devastation in Lac-Megantic, raising the death toll to 13, with about 40 people still missing and feared dead.

The train exploded in a series of fireballs after it careened eight miles down a sloping siding and derailed about 1 a.m. ET Saturday. All but one of the 73 tanker cars were carrying crude oil from North Dakota to a refinery in New Brunswick, and at least five exploded.

Volunteer firefighters in nearby Nantes had been called about 11:30 p.m. Friday to extinguish a blaze in one of the five locomotives, Fire Chief Patrick Lambert toldThe Montreal Gazette.

He told Reuters that firefighters had shut down the locomotive while they battled the fire, which was apparently caused by a broken oil or fuel line. But the train's crew had left the engine idling to keep the air brakes pressurized so the train wouldn't roll, said Ed Burkhardt, chairman of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway.

Lambert said the local railway dispatcher was contacted to report the engine fire had been put out. "We told them what we did and how we did it," he said.

"There was no discussion of the brakes at that time," he added. "We were there for the train fire. As for the inspection of the train after the fact, that was up to them."

As fire crews continued to cool overturned oil tankers Monday, searchers in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, looked for remains of victims of the inferno from a train derailment early Saturday.(Photo: Ryan Remiorz, The Canadian Press/AP)

What the dispatcher did after speaking with the Nantes fire service was not immediately clear. Burkhardt said that if the engine had been shut down, "someone should have made a report to the local railroad about that." He said the train's operator was staying at a nearby hotel.

Andre Gendron, who lives next to the rail yard, told Reuters that about five minutes after firefighters left, "I felt the vibration of a train moving down the track. I then saw the train move by without its lights on."

"It wasn't long after that I heard the explosion," he said.

As searchers slowly worked their way through the smoldering devastation Monday, firefighters doused two oil-filled cars with water and foam to keep them from overheating and exploding.

Many of those missing were believed to have been drinking at a popular downtown bar in the lakeside town of 6,000, near the Maine border. Crews had not yet reached the night spot, Quebec provincial police Sgt. Benoit Richard said Monday morning.

Anne-Julie Huot, 27, said at least five friends and about 20 acquaintances remained unaccounted for.

"I have a friend who was smoking outside the bar when it happened, and she barely got away, so we can guess what happened to the people inside," Huot said. "It's like a nightmare."

A coroner's spokeswoman said it may not be possible to recover some of the bodies because of the intensity of the blasts. Spokeswoman Geneviève Guilbault said the bodies are so badly burned that identifying them could take a long time.

The explosion and flames forced about a third of the community of 6,000 from their homes. About 1,500 may be able to return home Tuesday, authorities said.

A bridge fails in New Jersey

This seems to be an indication of crumbling infrastructure of an empire-in-decline

Train cars with toxic cargo fall off New Jersey bridge

A bridge failed in Paulsboro, New Jersey, on Friday, sending four train cars -- at least one leaking a toxic chemical -- crashing into a creek near the Delaware River

CNN,

30 November, 2012

Four of the cars involved in the crash were carrying the chemical -- a highly toxic and flammable substance called vinyl chloride -- which leaked from at least one tank car into Mantua Creek, New Jersey emergency and environmental officials said. A total of seven rail cars derailed.

No serious injuries were reported, but 18 people with respiratory issues were sent to a hospital as a precaution, officials said.

Nearby schools placed students on lockdown, and authorities ordered evacuations in a very limited area around the accident.

At a news conference, a state environmental official indicated that much of the danger had passed, but he warned residents to stay alert for public safety announcements.

"It appears that all of the vinyl chloride that was in the particular car has dissipated," said Larry Hajna of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. "There's no more release going on."

Booms have been placed in the creek as a precaution, he said, to contain about 180,000 pounds of chemicals that leaked.

The air surrounding the wreck is being monitored and is safe, the official said. Later, department spokesman Larry Ragonese offered CNN a more definitive assessment, saying, "There is no environmental emergency."

Video of the train wreck site from CNN affiliate WPVI showed two tanker cars dangling from the collapsed railroad bridge. Other cars were in the creek, partially sunken amid rising smoke.

Watch helicopter video of the collapsed bridge and train wreckage

Vinyl chloride is used to make plastic and vinyl products, including PVC pipes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which has labeled the chemical a Group A human carcinogen. "Short-term exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride in air has resulted in central nervous system effects, such as dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches," the EPA says on its website.

There's probably going to be one car that's going to be a very delicate move.

Paulsboro, New Jersey, spokesman John Burzichelli

The remaining overturned railroad cars "are going to have to be righted," said Paulsboro spokesman John Burzichelli.

Mindful of the two cars dangling from the wrecked bridge, Burzichelli said that "there's probably going to be one car that's going to be a very delicate move."

"It's a time for caution," he said, warning residents to listen for announcements as the emergency is assessed.

Burzichelli described the bridge as "a very old structure" that underwent "a major rebuild" three years ago. Officials said some posts had failed before the work.

Three "major trains" go across the bridge each day, he said. Federal safety officials will look at maintenance histories for the track and bridge and conduct standard drug and alcohol testing of the crew.

Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters near the scene that the freight-only bridge is owned and operated by Conrail. It was too early to determine a cause of the incident, she said.

Other agencies will work to remove the wreckage and get the rest of the material out of the breached tank car. "We will be proceeding with caution," Hersman said.

The train consisted of two locomotives, 82 rail cars and a caboose and originated from Camden.

Conrail said it will work closely with local, federal and public health authorities in the wake of the crash. "We very much regret the impacts to the community and deeply appreciate the efforts of the first response teams and officials," it said in a written statement.

A representative for Underwood Memorial Hospital told CNN that the hospital has treated 18 patients with respiratory issues -- mostly sore throats.

Immediately after the wreck, residents told WPVI that they smelled an odor in the area. Authorities warned residents to stay indoors as a precaution and to keep windows closed. The Coast Guard sent crews to the scene to begin cleanup efforts.

Paulsboro is southwest of Camden, about a 20-minute drive from Philadelphia.

New Zealand - cutbacks

Yeah, smart one! - just what the country needs, less rail and more roads - LOL
Napier-Gisborne rail line definitely closing
KiwiRail has confirmed it is mothballing the Napier-Gisborne rail line, saying the cost of repairing and maintaining it is too high and it's not making enough money anyway.

Radio NZ,
2 October, 2012



Freight rail services on the line have been suspended since serious storm damage to the northern section of it in March.

KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn says that alone would cost $4 million to fix. He says the line lost $2.4 million last year and a review has shown that keeping it going would lose the company between $5 million and $8 million a year.

Mr Quinn says it's unclear what impact the decision will have on staff numbers but a small number of job losses is likely.

The mothballing was flagged in a business case published on KiwiRail's website a month ago, in which the company said neither the full line nor the southern section from Napier to Wairoa would be commercially viable for the foreseeable future.

It denied at the time that mothballing means closure because, it said, it retains ownership and can carry out minimal maintenance.



More passing lanes planned



Meanwhile, the Government has announced it will spend $4 million on installing more passing lanes on State Highway 2 to speed up traffic between Gisborne and Napier.

Napier mayor Barbara Arnott says people would still prefer the money to be spent on rail rather than road and the chair of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's transport committee, Alan Dick, says the decision is short-sighted.

With quick restoration, Mr Dick says, the line could have been viable by this summer. He says the two cities are export-driven and need efficient, competitive modes of transport.

The general manager of LeaderBrand Produce, Richard Burke, says KiwiRail's decision is the worst possible outcome.

Mr Burke says rail is more efficient than road and he's disappointed the line's full potential is not going to be realised.

Courts overhaul announcement expected

The Government is about to outline plans for a major overhaul of the court system.

Radio NZ,

3 October, 2012

Court staff have been called to meetings this morning, following months of talk about modernising the way they work.

Courts Minister Chester Borrows has described the current paper-based system as old-fashioned.

Judges will move next year to a system called e-Bench, allowing them to manage criminal cases electronically.

Mr Borrows also wants people to be able to have their court matters dealt with by video link from home, or their lawyer's office, should they wish.

Labour says the changes are entirely driven by a desire to cut costs, rather than to improve services, and says it expects significant job losses as a result of replacing people with technology.

Cunliffe says Joyce is on another planet

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce has dismissed a pessimistic Treasury report on the economy as "grumpy" but the Labour Party says he is on another planet.

Steven Joyce is the man in charge of the deconstruction of the NZ economy

Radio NZ,

3 October, 2012

Having assessed economic data released during September, the Treasury has concluded that strong growth since the start of the year is tapering off and the risks to its economic forecasts are all on the downside.

The economy grew by 1% in the first quarter of 2012 and by 0.6% in the second. The Treasury says it is still set to grow in the last half of the year but not as quickly.

Mr Joyce says the Treasury has previously underestimated growth and he hopes it continues to get the numbers wrong.

But Labour's David Cunliffe says the minister is living on Planet Joyce if he can't recognise the economy is struggling.

Mr Cunliffe says the Government has failed to take the action needed to lift the economy, such as putting skills training in place quickly enough in Canterbury.

Minister sees many positive signs

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Joyce told Morning Report that companies are winning big contracts, dairy prices are rising at auction, the Christchurch rebuild is gaining momentum and employer confidence about recruiting is positive.

"Probably the biggest issue remains unemployment, that's higher than what we would like and we do want to see further job growth, but actually if you're going to be anywhere in the world right now you'd be struggling to pick a better developed country than New Zealand."

Mr Joyce says niche manufacturers are also doing well, and there are positive signs for the third quarter of the year.