Two brand-new rail ferries will begin carrying passengers, cars, and trains across the Cook Strait in 2029, Rail Minister Winston Peters announced.
The ferries will hold up to 1,500 people, 2.4 kilometres of vehicles, and 40 rail wagons each.
The government confirmed the plan today, saying it will cost less than the previous ferry project, which was cancelled in 2023 due to rising costs. Minister Peters said the new approach will reuse much of the current port infrastructure, especially in Wellington, saving billions of dollars.
The ferries will be about 200 meters long and 28 meters wide—smaller than the larger ships planned earlier, which had caused problems with port upgrades. The marine infrastructure in Picton will be replaced, while the Wellington side will be upgraded instead of rebuilt.
Design and planning work begins this month, with a shipyard to be chosen by the end of the year. Construction on port infrastructure is expected to start in late 2025. A group called Ferry Holdings will now lead the project, working closely with KiwiRail and local ports.
The original plan, made in 2018, aimed for two large ferries built in South Korea, but costs grew from $700 million to over $3 billion. That plan was cancelled in late 2023.
The opposition Labour Party criticised the new plan for lacking cost details and for choosing smaller ships than originally planned. However, the government insists the new ferries will still meet New Zealand’s needs for both road and rail transport across the strait.
