KiwiRail stalls Westport stop banks

By Ellen Curnow of the Westport News

Protection works for one of Westport's most dangerous flood areas has "ground to a halt", says West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) principal engineer Peter Blackwood.

And he blames KiwiRail.

The council was locked in negotiation with the state-owned enterprise over plans to build flood protection at Cats Creek/Abbatoir Drain, Blackwood told councillors at Tuesday's Infrastructure Governance Committee meeting.

He said KiwiRail now suggested it would consent only temporary flood protection on its land.

"We've made progress," Blackwood said. "They're going to give us a stop bank we can put up for a year and a half, then we've got to pull it down."

Buller representative Cr Frank Dooley said that was "absolutely ridiculous".

"Throughout my entire time on the regional council, we have had issues with KiwiRail... And it needs to be addressed. And it needs to be addressed at the highest level."

Cr Dooley said KiwiRail needed "to get its act together".

It was "a nonsense" to only allow a 1.5 years' consent on a vital section of flood protection.

"Their brain's in the wrong place. They're not even switched on," Cr Dooley said.

Blackwood said communicating with KiwiRail was frustrating. Officials would "go missing for weeks at a time" then a flurry of discussions with various staff would restart.

WCRC's chief executive Darryl Lew had his own gripes with KiwiRail. A staff member last week phoned him "out of the blue" about plans to install box culverts through the railway embankment on Stephens Road.

Lew said he had told the KiwiRail staffer that KiwiRail had known for some time that the embankment held back water in floods much smaller than the one-in-100-year level.

"And that water actually goes on other people's land."

It was KiwiRail's liability, Lew said. KiwiRail could not access any of the government's $22.9 million co-investment in Westport's flood protection and culvert replacements were not part of the WCRC's workplan.

The staff member also acknowledged that KiwiRail had box culverts of the right size sitting in a yard in Greymouth, Lew said.

"We have pressure from the neighbouring landowners at the moment to get that job done."

Lew said the suggestion of temporary structures at Cats Creek had been a "total surprise". After many months of negotiation with KiwiRail, he had believed final designs for permanent protection were close to sign-off.

Cr Dooley said now would be the perfect time for KiwiRail to replace the culverts and to allow WCRC to complete work on KiwiRail land. Coal trains are not using the Ngakawau to Ikamatua line because of a tunnel collapse near Reefton.

"We could get in there and build that wall bloody quickly without any interruption at all to the KiwiRail business," Cr Dooley said. "But, if they continue to muck us around, by the time we come to build structures their business could have disruptions."

WCRC chair Cr Peter Haddock said he had raised the issue last week at the Regional Transport Committee meeting and again at a South Island transport meeting.

"Our communities are highly vulnerable while we are waiting."

He acknowledged KiwiRail had to protect its assets. Cr Dooley cut in.

"We're protecting their assets. The flood protection scheme will protect the KiwiRail business."

Westport's 2021 and 2022 floods had caused "enormous" disruption for KiwiRail, he said.

Cr Dooley moved that council should write to Transport Minister Simeon Brown with copies to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones.

The letter should express concern at KiwiRail's "lack of co-operation", Cr Dooley said.

"Their delays and lack of knowledge and understanding have potential massive impacts on our communities..."

Councillors agreed unanimously and Lew said he was happy to write on their behalf.

The Westport News is seeking comment from KiwiRail.

This story was originally published by the Westport News.