The Commission has made an urgent recommendation to the Chief Executive of KiwiRail that he ensure that at the Wellington maintenance depot, and other maintenance depots under KiwiRail control:
- maintenance is undertaken in accordance with good railway engineering practice
- manufacturers' inspection, repair and maintenance instructions are documented and followed
- safety-critical components are identified and documented
- work instructions are issued for maintaining all equipment
- work on safety-critical components is signed off by someone other than the maintainer
- all maintenance work is recorded.
It is important that KiwiRail addresses this urgent safety recommendation. The NZ Transport Agency has various powers under the Railways Act 2005 to monitor and ensure KiwiRail’s performance and compliance.
The Commission recommends that the Chief Executive of the NZ Transport Agency take all appropriate steps to ensure that KiwiRail addresses the above recommendation.