KiwiRail asbestos decision continues to cost

The Government must ensure the overseas manufacturer of asbestos contaminated DL locomotives pays compensation for the fallout following KiwiRail pulling them from service, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Darien Fenton says.

“It’s not just the expense of removing the asbestos. The costs of lost or delayed freight services have consequences to business and communities way beyond KiwiRail’s bottom line.

“One example is the cost of having more trucks to replace lost freight services on roads like those in Northland that are notoriously under-funded and dangerous.

“The incidence of logging truck accidents in the Far North has not only taken the lives of drivers, but other road users, and more trucks will do more damage to the roads.

“This all goes back to a short-sighted procurement decision led by the Government.

“That decision has cost jobs, it has put workers’ safety at risk and now it’s going to hit already struggling regional communities.

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