Transport Minister Simeon Brown says the Government has been “highly unimpressed” with KiwiRail’s maintenance of its Interislander ferry fleet.
The future of the ferries was the first question Brown faced at a Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee meeting this afternoon.
Brown said the Government was committed to a resilient Cook Strait service but ministers also wanted to see KiwiRail maintain its existing ships to the appropriate standards.
Yesterday, the *Herald* reported annual maintenance costs to keep the ferries running could almost double to $65 million by next year, and keeping the ferries afloat will be an “ongoing battle”.
