New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards

South Auckland Train Project

Auckland Regional Transport Authority

"The refurbishment of old diesel electric train sets by the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) to meet modern needs demonstrates a highly successful approach to achieving attractive and efficient solutions at an acceptable cost."
– Dr Bas Walker, Chief Judge

Conceived and commissioned by the Auckland Regional Council through ARTA, the South Auckland Train Project was outstanding in its creative approach. Rather than buy new equipment, old carriages were imported from the UK and refurbished and modified, and a separate locomotive was used as prime mover. All this was accomplished for a third of the cost of buying new stock. Also notable was the rapid timeframe of two years for the design, construction and commissioning of the first six train sets. The result fulfils a major community requirement in an economical and visually appealing way.

The project is notable for the high quality engineering results achieved from the available materials, the effective coordination of a several engineering contributors, and its long-term community value to a generation of Aucklanders. The project has attracted attention elsewhere in New Zealand, and there is the potential to see the concept adopted in other areas.

Proudly sponsored by: NZAS