Ruakura Inland Port's first train was greeted with a karanga from Ruuruhi Whaea Ani Willis on Thursday. Photo / Tainui Group Holdings
Ruakura Inland Port's first train was greeted with a karanga from Ruuruhi Whaea Ani Willis on Thursday. Photo / Tainui Group Holdings
The Ruakura Inland Port, located next to the soon-to-open Ruakura Superhub, welcomed its first two goods trains, one each from Tauranga and Auckland, on Thursday.
The inland port, a nine-hectare, $60 million Customs-controlled cargo facility on Hamilton’s eastern boundary, has been being developed for more than 15 years by TainuiGroup Holdings (TGH), the commercial entity of Waikato-Tainui, and will be operated together with Port of Tauranga for an initial period of 50 years.
Tainui Group Holdings chief executive Chris Joblin said it was exciting to see “another dot on the map for Hamilton”.
“This is the type of infrastructure to really cement the city’s importance in New Zealand’s economic landscape. With the Ruakura Inland Port operating and the adjacent Waikato Expressway, it’s an alignment of infrastructure that will deliver great value for our country, region and Waikato-Tainui.”
Initially, two trains a week, each capable of carrying around 90 containers, will call at Ruakura Inland Port as the inland port undergoes final commissioning during August. Train calls will then be increased to match demand.
KiwiRail operates more than 85 train services per week between MetroPort Auckland and Tauranga which pass through Ruakura.
Team members from Tainui Group Holdings, Port of Tauranga, KiwiRail and Quality Marshalling greet the first trains at Ruakura Inland Port. Photo / Tainui Group Holdings
Kiwi Rail chief executive Peter Reidy said the arrival of the first trains was great for “this strategic node” on the national rail network.
“It is not only an expansion, but a better utilisation of our national rail network. We believe that rail offers resilience against supply chain disruptions... Importantly, this project shows increased connectivity of our infrastructure to benefit cargo owners and consumers across the country to help decarbonise land transport in New Zealand.”
Joblin added that welcoming the first two goods trains marked an exciting new opportunity for importers and exporters, especially in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.
“This is a big step towards reducing carbon emissions from the Upper North Island supply chain. It gives importers and exporters the option to move away from the previously ubiquitous round-trip, road-based journeys, towards more rail-based one-way movements for cargoes.”
The first two trains arrived at the Ruakura Inland Port in Hamilton on Thursday. Photo / Tainui Group Holdings
Later this year, several large-scale businesses at the adjacent Ruakura Superhub, including the 40,000-square-metre Kmart Distribution Centre and new cold storage facilities operated by global player Maersk (16,000m2) and Big Chill Distribution (13,000m2), will celebrate their opening.
These will contribute to generating freight through the inland port as well. Quality Marshalling, an owned subsidiary of Port of Tauranga, will manage the inland port’s physical operations.
Port of Tauranga chief executive Leonard Sampson said: “By combining Port of Tauranga’s expertise in developing and operating ports with the deep regional connections of TGH and the scale and efficiency of the Ruakura location, we can deliver more value for our regions and customers.”
