Today (Friday June 21) we celebrate the shortest day of the year – that means we will officially be halfway through our calendar year and on the downhill slope towards summer and warmer days. This time of the year is also special for Māori as it’s the official Matariki celebrations (June 15 -30) with next Friday, 28 June being a public holiday. The rise of Matariki in the winter skies is an important time in the Māori calendar, as it signifies the start of the Māori new year. There are a wide range of activities for you to see and do this Matariki season. These range from kite days, to soaring lighting installations, live music performances to colourful light shows on our Auckland Harbour Bridge thanks to Vector.
The list of these events can be found on the council website:
https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/matariki-festival-2024/matariki-events/
Locally, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei are hosting an official Umu Kohukohu Whetua (a traditional ceremony acknowledging the Matariki star cluster) on June 28 at 5.20am. This will be held at Takaparawhau/Bastion Point (enter via Kupe Street). If you wish to attend that please wrap up warm and wear gumboots or old shoes as it can be very muddy. https://ngatiwhatuaorakei.com/parongo/events/2024-umu-kohukohu-whetu-ki-takaparawhau/
Changing the subject, and moving away from reflection and more to correction, I wanted to update you also on the KiwiRail squeaky rails saga.
I have received many complaints about the screeching trains on the Eastern Line, particularly across Hobson Bay and around Meadowbank and Ōrākei stations. Following multiple calls to KiwiRail, I recently received some promising news. On Thursday, last week I had an in-person meeting with a senior manager where he acknowledged our noise concerns and acknowledged that wasn’t the standard we should expect from Kiwrail. So, I put it to him directly “what are you doing about it? “
Essentially, the issue is threefold. First, admit there is a problem, which KiwiRail have now done. The characteristics of the Eastern Line are that it has lots of curves, which means lots of lateral movement of the wheels on the tracks. This creates friction and consequent noise.
Second, KiwiRail replaced a lot of rails during the 2020/21 period to deal with what they call “Rolling Contact Fatigue” (cracking rail in layman’s terms). I am told the new rail tracks take a while to smooth out. KiwiRail did grind down some of the tracks when first upgraded to reduce some of the friction and noise, but this obviously wasn’t enough.
Third, come up with a solution that will make a tangible difference.
As mentioned, KiwiRail have now acknowledged they have a screeching noise issue that needs to be addressed, so what’s their plan to reduce the noise?
KiwiRail told me they now have a couple of solutions which will help solve this problem. The first is a comprehensive lubrication programme, using automated lubrication pots next to the rails in strategic locations. The second solution is to put in place an annual grinding programme, using an upgraded grinding machine which KiwiRail has leased for the next 4 years.
Collectively, the lubrication of the tracks, the upgraded grinding machine and annual grinding maintenance will make a difference which KiwiRail say will be noticeable to residents and users from Christmas this year.
The outlined plan of action will commence in their new financial year starting from 1 July. 2024. As I receive further updates, I will keep you informed.
From tracks to train services. I am sure if you are a train user you’ll be aware of the industrial action currently affecting the timetabling of our trains. For the latest updates please visit at.govt.nz/train action and plan your journey at at.govt.nz/journeyplanner
And to end on a positive, this week we also celebrate the thousands of amazing volunteers who work across so many sectors helping Auckland and Aucklanders in a multitude of ways.
If you are one of them THANK YOU. Volunteers, make a huge difference to the social, cultural, environmental and community aspects of our great city and we appreciate the dedication, time and knowledge they give back. If you manage to get a chance to be part of a volunteering opportunity, I can guarantee you will benefit too 😊.