In his address to the annual meeting of shareholders yesterday Mainfreight executive chairman Bruce Plested says the government needs to understand that transport infrastructure needs a strategy that considers road, and rail, and ports.
In his speech Plested says the government and treasury have treated rail appallingly since its sale in 1992 and repurchase in 2006
“I awoke on Friday, July 10th at 6.00am, to news that the Government was considering closing down the railway system,” he told the meeting.
“Within a few hours it became clear that this was not being considered by the Government,” he says
“It was a ‘recommendation’ amongst others, which Treasury had made to the Government, before their latest budget. Included in the advice was ‘close down the rail network and launch a year-long public relations consultation to soften up the public for the pre-ordained decision’,” says Plested.
“What about realising that it is extraordinarily damaging to our country to not understand that our transport infrastructure is screaming out for a strategy that considers road and rail (passenger and freight) and ports,” he says.
“Without rail, our opportunities for passenger transport are restricted, our desperation for more roads intensifies to the point of impossibility, and our options for port locations become hopelessly restricted,” says Plested.
“How on earth could Treasury not see these connections, and our Government not see the need for an overall strategy?
“Does no-one understand that having a dozen ports, allows the overseas shipping companies to play them all off against each other for price and service, mostly while the local ratepayers provide the ports’ finances,” he concluded.
