ProjectHillside Workshops Redevelopment

KiwiRail’s Hillside Workshops have been undergoing a major reconstruction, which will give a new lease of life to a site that has an important place in New Zealand’s rail heritage.

KiwiRail currently carries out maintenance on locomotives, wagons, and passenger cars at various locations in the South Island. A need to upgrade, rehabilitate, and replace existing Dunedin mechanical facilities was prompted by the procurement of the new South Island Locomotive fleet, changes to the fleet type and size, interim facility constraints brought on by aging structures, and historical layout concerns.

The design was staged across three main vertical building and infrastructure design packages, at the crux of which is a technologically advanced and innovative circa 5000sqm mechanical workshop – complete with heavy lift loco jacks, gantry cranes, jib cranes, traverser and electric shunt engines. The project also includes a 1600sqm shared office space for an estimated 170 staff, along with infrastructure and services buildings.

TSA Riley has worked on the project since 2021, providing full project management services including Engineer to the Contract to take the redevelopment from inception right through to completion.