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Rail Transport in New Zealand Industry Data and Analysis
Rail transport revenue is expected to climb at a compound annual rate of 1.8% over the five years through 2024-26, to $623.5 million. Rail freight plays an important role in transporting bulk goods across the country and to and from New Zealand ports. Freight volumes and revenue for New Zealand’s rail industry have declined since 2022–23, resulting from intense competition from road freight, loss of key contracts, economic headwinds and significant infrastructure disruptions like major tunnel collapses and cyclone damage. These challenges have led to increasingly pressured profit margins, as fixed costs are spread over fewer freight units and maintenance expenses have risen sharply. At the same time, passenger rail has rebounded strongly, especially in Auckland and Wellington, driven by the return of commuters and tourists, higher fuel costs and government investments in urban rail infrastructure. KiwiRail, which dominates the sector, has responded to weaker freight demand and project completions by cutting staff and shifting to a leaner operating model to control costs and preserve financial stability. In 2025-26, a recovery in rail freight volumes will push up industrywide revenue by 1.5%.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released June 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Rail Transport industry in New Zealand operates under the ANZSIC industry code I4700NZ. Industry operators provide freight and passenger rail transport. This excludes railway terminal operation, tramway transport and private railroads used internally by companies. Related terms covered in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand include rolling stock, multimodal transport and commuter rail.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Rail Transport industry in New Zealand include Domestic freight transport, Import and export freight transport and Rail passenger transport.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand include KiwiRail, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Auckland Council.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand in 2026?
The market size of the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand is $623.5m in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand in 2025?
There are 3 businesses in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.0 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand?
The Rail Transport industry in New Zealand is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand?
The Rail Transport industry in New Zealand is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand has been growing at a CAGR of 1.8 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand?
The biggest companies operating in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand are KiwiRail, Greater Wellington Regional Council and Auckland Council
What does the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand include?
Domestic freight transport and Import and export freight transport are part of the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand?
The company holding the most market share in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand is KiwiRail.
How competitive is the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand?
The level of competition is low and increasing in the Rail Transport industry in New Zealand.
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