KiwiRail inicia negociações para cancelar o contrato HMD para as balsas do Estreito de Cook devido à falta de financiamento governamental para o projeto iReX. KiwiRail initiates talks to cancel HMD contract for Cook Strait ferries due to lack of government funding for iReX project.

A KiwiRail iniciou discussões para cancelar um contrato com um estaleiro sul-coreano, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD), para construir duas novas megaferries para o Estreito de Cook. KiwiRail has begun discussions to cancel a contract with a South Korean shipyard, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD), to build two new mega ferries for Cook Strait. A decisão surge depois de o governo da Nova Zelândia se ter recusado a fornecer financiamento adicional para o projeto Inter-Island Resilient Connection (iReX) no final de 2023. The decision comes after the New Zealand Government declined to provide further funding for the Inter-Island Resilient Connection (iReX) project in late 2023. A KiwiRail agora planeja trabalhar com clientes e corretores de navios internacionais para obter balsas de reposição adequadas. KiwiRail now plans to work with customers and international shipbrokers to source suitable replacement ferries.