The proposed New Zealand Regional Freight Hub will be an intermodal hub, connecting road and rail, located near Palmerston North on New Zealand's North Island to support anticipated freight growth. KiwiRail is leading the project, in collaboration with Palmerston North City Council and Horizons Regional Council.
The Hub will will be spread over three kilometres and will include a log yard, container terminal, freight-forwarding facilities and KiwiRail's train operations and maintenance depot. The Hub is intended to be built in stages over a thirty year period.
Stage One would see works at the Palmerston North Airport end of the site.
Key Dates
| 2027 | Expected Construction Commencement |
Funding contributions
| NZ Government | |
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The NZ Government's $40 million comes from the Government's Provincial Growth Fund. |
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Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | KiwiRail. |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Nov 2018 | The NZ Government announced a NZ$40 million (A$38 million) investment from the Government's Provincial Growth Fund to support the development of the Master Plan, site identification and the purchase of land. |
| Nov 2019 | The New Zealand Government announced that the Master Plan for the project had been completed. |
| Jul 2020 | The preferred site for the project was announced by the NZ Government. The preferred site is between Palmerston North Airport and Bunnythorpe, partially in the North East Industrial Zone. |
| Oct 2020 | KiwiRail lodged a Notice of Requirement to Palmerston North City Council. |
| Mar 2021 | Public submissions on the Notice of Requirement were opened 3 March 2021 and closed on 26 March 2021. |
| Aug 2021 | The public hearing for the project's Notice of Requirement commenced on 9 August 2021, closing 15 October 2021. |
| Apr 2022 | KiwiRail confirmed the Notice of Requirement to designate land to the development of the NZ Regional Freight Hub, commencing appeals period for appeals lodged with the Environment Court. |
| Aug 2023 | KiwiRail provided updated information on the Hub, noting that they don't expect enabling works for Stage One to begin until 2027. |
| Aug 2023 | KiwiRail announced the land-use designation for the Regional Freight Hub in Palmerston North had been confirmed. |
Sector
Other Transport
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
New Zealand |
Resources
