The Government has objected to NZ First MP Brendan Horan tabling photos in Parliament showing unsafe parts of the KiwiRail network, claims the transport spokesperson.

Brendan attempted to present the photos of rotting sleepers to outline the safety issues of tracks, which he says are will lead to derailment of trains.

NZ First MP Brendan Horan.

This comes amongst recent revelations KiwiRail's fleet of trains is plagued with faults, including 500 Chinese rail wagons that have all had their brake pads replaced.

'I've got three photos of sleepers with growth sprouting out of sleepers,” says Brendan.

'It's quite obvious that they are rotten. I tried to introduce these photos into the house to highlight these safety concerns. The National-led Government objected to me introducing these photos.”

Brendan claims KiwiRail purchased a 'dodgy” lot of South American timber railway sleepers because they were cheaper than the traditional Jarrah - and those sleepers are now rotting.

'A terrible tragedy is imminent,” says Brendan.

'The biggest cause of derailment is track spreading, and where you get mud coming in it needs to be cleared out and replaced with ballast straight away, because otherwise the track spreads.

'What we have is rotting sleepers, mud slides and ballast that is not replaced. Every week there are minor derailments.”

Brendan says he has been contacted by concerned KiwiRail staff from all over the country worried about the prospect of a major derailment occurring.

A KiwiRail train travelling from Tauranga derailed at the Frankton yard on July 9. A derailment Brendan says was caused by lack of maintenance.

'The inside information is it is directly a result of a lack of maintenance.”

'What we have got is an orchestrated cutting of KiwiRail maintenance staff. Hamilton is going to lose 30 staff. They had a meeting yesterday and the management was told they had to axe more staff, all to make the bottom line look better - which any accountant will tell you is precursor to privatisation.”

Brendan says the track safety issue is being overshadowed this week by news KiwiRail's China made locomotives are plagued with faults.

KiwiRail paid $75million for 20 locomotives two years ago. Of the 20 one has so many problems it has been set aside for parts, says Brendan.

National Business Review reports KiwiRail has admitted a second batch of Chinese built locomotives has been put on hold.

The main fan in one of the locomotives shattered and all maintenance has to be done with the engine bay doors closed or the engine stopped as a safety measure.

'They have got major issue. What you need to do is look at mean distance between failures. The average for these new ones is 14,800km. The average for the 50-year-old locomotives they are replacing is 80,000km.

'They are stopping all the time, and it's undermining the confidence that suppliers have for KiwiRail.”

Because most of New Zealand's rail network is single track, a break down stops trains in both directions until repairs are made or the broken down locomotive is lifted from the track.

Faults on the locomotives range from software design issues with the control system, to faulty bearings causing traction problems. There are also cracks in alternator fans and water pipes, and faults with the alternators' design.

The new trains are also damaging the tracks, says Brendan. He's got photos of track damage caused by the new locomotives.

'They are burns,” says Brendan.

'These locomotives are very high torque. They have that much power in them, so these wheels are spinning, not gaining traction, so you are getting dents in the track, hooks.”

The uneven track also contributes to derailments, says Brendan. An empty carriage in a fully loaded train can jump the tracks.

'Then you have the situation where the brakes had to be replaced on 500 Chinese wagons. They would be going along and some of the brakes would flick on as they were driving along. The list of incidents is a real eye opener.

'I am seriously concerned about the safety aspect - as are the KiwiRail staff.”

Further problems include software design issues with the control system, faulty bearings causing traction motor problems, cracks on alternator fans and water pipes, and fundamental design problems on the alternators.

The KiwiRail documents show this and other faults have still not been fully rectified.

Rotting sleepers are failing:

The new trains are damaging the railway tracks.