Will electric locomotives on main trunk line be scrapped? KiwiRail made a decision in December 2016 to switch from electric to diesel locomotives on the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) from Te Rapa, north of Hamilton, to Palmerston North. Under current planning, the electric locomotives will not be decommissioned until March 2019. This would require upgrading the electronics and would extend the life of the electric locomotives by more than 20 years. The upgrade of the electric locomotives would be completed within 2-1/2 to 3 years.

Source: Stuff September 05, 2018 02:26 UTC