KiwiRail is considering renting a coastal vessel to reduce road freight on State Highway 7 which is now the main route from Picton to Christchurch.
According to the National Business Review (NBR), It is estimated about 40 trucks a day, typically use the road, and now it is up to about 700.
KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy says this could get up to about 1000 a day with the increased freight demand before Christmas.
Last week the rail operator started a coastal service from Auckland to Christchurch, buying capacity on international shipping line ANL.
But it is also considering leasing a vessel to run the Auckland to Lyttelton coastal service on a regular basis.
Reidy told the NBR that KiwiRail needs to assess the demand for a fixed-cost dedicated vessel for its customers, and what timing and reliability this ship could offer compared to the schedule and pricing from an international shipping line.
“Within the next couple of weeks, we want to come up with an option,” says Reidy.
