These workshops contained some of New Zealand’s most highly skilled tradespeople from a wide range of trades. The workshops were the training ground for thousands of apprentices in these trades over the years. They were working class universities. The workshops also provided work for many New Zealanders with disabilities, workers that other private sector companies would not employ. The workshops were cultural and sporting centres, many boasting a brass or pipe band or rugby or soccer teams.
Hillside, Addington, Hutt (Woburn), East Town, Otahuhu and Newmarket were the names of some of most well known workshops. The workers at the workshops produced and repaired world class railway rolling stock, locomotives and passenger carriages.
When the corporatisation and privatisation came, the railway workshops were either closed or reduced in size. Thousands of workers were made redundant. All of the production of rolling stock was stopped. Training was curtailed; no new apprentices were taken on. A few years later the country was crying out for the skills that were lost.
However some workshops remained and although the ownership of these workshops has been transferred from one company to another over the years, these workshops have built on the skills that remained and are now one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets.
Take the Hutt Workshop for example. The facility has experienced several changes in ownership. It was originally constructed, owned and operated by the government’s Railways Department, later the Railways Corporation, then NZ Rail Limited until the sale of most of its functions in 1993 to an American company who changed its name to Tranz Rail.
On 1 April 2002, French engineering giant Alstom took over the operation of the Hutt Workshops on a seven-year contract to maintain Tranz Rail’s fleet of locomotives. Three years later, United Group announced on 16 September 2005 that it had completed the acquisition of Alstom’s transport operations in New Zealand and Australia, including the Hutt Workshops. Following the purchase and renationalisation of Toll’s rail operations by the New Zealand Government, ownership of Hutt Workshops was transferred, along with Toll NZ's rail and ferry assets, to KiwiRail on 1 July 2008. United Group Rail remained the operator of the workshops until its contract expired on 22 March 2009, when KiwiRail assumed full responsibility for the facility.
As fuel prices go up, motorway congestion increases and we are all more aware of climate change, rail transport is on the way back, and no more so than the multi-million dollar injection into the Auckland passenger rail system.
The remaining railway workshops are at Hutt and Hillside (Dunedin).
“These workshops have the skills and the equipment needed to undertake a large number of railway and other heavy engineering jobs,” says Wayne Butson, General Secretary of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union.
“The Hutt worshops are able to completely build, rebuild and repair locomotives. Hillside has its expertise in building, rebuilding and repairing rolling stock including passenger carriages.
“Hillside rebuilt the carriages for the Wairarapa commuter train and has the contract to build 17 Tranz Scenic passenger cars for the remaining long distance passenger services which includes the world renowned Tranz Alpine service,” says Wayne Butson.
Wayne says that there is even more work that these workshops have the skills and capacity to undertake. He believes they are still under-utilised. “There is no reason that the latest order of 20 DL locomotives (Locomotives to be built at China’s Dallian Workshops) couldn’t have been made at the Hutt workshops rather than the contract going overseas,” he said.
“And although Hillside may not have been able to completely manufacture the 79 Electrical Multiple Units (EMUs)for the Wellington Region in the time required, the contract could have specified that the EMUs came in completely knocked down (CKD) and were assembled here. This would have created more jobs and may well have been a more cost effective option. It certainly would have reduced the amount of dollars leaving NZ.
Wayne is pleased that the workshops and the rest of rail are now all under the one company; KiwiRail. “The workshops have the potential to be restored as an integral part of the social and economic fabric of New Zealand Inc again,” he said.
Make it here! almost became a lost cry in the railway workshops of New Zealand. Now it is becoming a confident call for the future.caption