New Zealand's rail licence holders
More than 90 organisations operate on and/or provide access to New Zealand's railways.
There are two main types of licence holders:
- those who control the use of railway lines ('access providers'). Every organisation whose railway has one rail, or a set of rails with a gauge of 550 millimetres or greater between them, must hold a rail licence.
- those who provide or operate rail vehicles ('railway operators'). They also are required to have rail licences.
Most of New Zealand's rail organisations are both providers and operators. They comprise three broad groups:
- Network - larger organisations with extensive route kilometres or those operating on the national rail system, including some tourist and heritage organisations.
- Tourist and heritage - those with rail vehicles operating on short, dedicated railways.
- Industrial - organisations with railways serving factories or stores, usually on localised sites with connections to the national rail system.
Each organisation has its own safety requirements, depending on its size, nature and operational objectives.
Read the full list of licence holders in New Zealand.
Preparing a safety case
In preparation for gaining a rail licence, each access provider and rail operator in New Zealand is required to develop a 'safety case'. This describes:
- what it does (its activities)
- the risks its operations pose to safety (what could be unsafe)
- how these risks will be minimised (how the organisation will keep things safe).
The safety case has to be approved by us before an organisation can get a rail licence.
Granting rail licences
A rail licence is a licence to carry out the rail activities set out in a rail organisation's approved safety case. It is granted under the Railways Act 2005 (external link), which is administered by us.
If you're not sure whether you require a rail licence, or have any other questions, please contact our national office.
Rail licence exemptions
An organisation is exempt from requiring a rail licence if its:
- railway is used as an amusement device under section 21A(1) of the Machinery Act 1950 (external link)
- railway operates on a set of rails with a gauge less than 550mm between them (unless designated as a railway line under section 59(1) of the Railways Act 2005) (external link)
- railway operates on a railway line excluded by regulations made under the Railways Act 2005 section 59(m) (external link)
- railway is a private cable car
- railway line is operated by a mining or forestry business and:
- the only passengers carried are employees of the mining or forestry business
- the only freight carried is the property or product of the mining or forestry business
- the operation carried out on the line is subject to regulations made under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (external link) (if any).
To find out whether you're exempt from requiring a rail licence, please contact our national office.
Essential reading before applying
If you're planning to apply for a rail licence, we recommend that you read the Rail safety licensing and safety assessment guidelines. They describe the requirements of a safety case, the rail licence, safety assessments and the application form.
Make sure you allow at least six weeks for your licence application to be processed.
Safety assessments
All rail licence holders are required to be safety assessed regularly - usually once a year - to make sure they are complying with their safety cases. Safety assessment reports document a licensee's performance in adhering to their safety management systems and show us whether a licensee is continuing to conduct their rail activities safely. Licensees are required to respond to the report findings.
Safety assessors, approved by us, conduct the safety assessments. We usually pass on the assessment costs to the licensees.
Find out more about the safety assessments that can be undertaken and the steps involved in the process.
Fees
We charge an initial $117.00 (including GST) to process your application for a rail licence.
Once your licence has been issued, we charge an annual fee, payable quarterly, which depends on the size and nature of your rail activities:
| Licensee type | Category | Unit cost ($, inc GST) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access provider | Network | 171.70 | Per km |
| Other | 5.31 | Per km | |
| Passenger operator | Metro | 14.19 | Per 1000 pass |
| Cable car | 1.00 | Per 1000 pass | |
| Heritage and tourist | 1.74 | Per 1000 pass | |
| Long distance | 20.85 | Per 1000 pass | |
| Freight operator | 94.16 | Per $1m freight revenue | |
| Annual safety fee component | 391.23 | Each operator |
