Keeping Kiwirail electric a 'no-brainer' - Twyford

The Transport Minister Phil Twyford says the decision to force Kiwirail to backtrack on its decision to ditch its electric locomotives was a no-brainer. In October the Government announced it was refurbishing the 15 electric locomotives on the main trunk line, reversing an earlier decision by Kiwirail's board to replace them with diesel trains. Cabinet papers show the Treasury advised the government it was not aware of any other time a state-owned enterprise had been ordered to make a decision it did not consider was in its best commercial interests. Mr Twyord told our reporter Catherine Hutton the Government did not hesitate to issue the directive.