Kapiti Miniature Railway soon back in operation

The Department of Labour, Kapiti Miniature Railway Club and Kapiti Coast District Council met yesterday to discuss the future of the Kapiti miniature railway at Raumati Gardens.

“The meeting was very positive, and focused on getting the Kapiti Miniature Railway back on track” said Maarten Quivooy, Group Manager for Workplace Services in the Department of Labour.

“We were able to explain to the Council and the Kapiti Miniature Railway that amusement devices and rides have to be registered is to ensure that they are safe to use,” Maarten Quivooy said.

“The Department is responsible for setting the conditions for the safe operation of these rides and devices, and we've done that by requiring an assessment from an independent engineer. These are generally done every two years, and enable the rides to be registered with the Department. Model railway operators can then give the public an assurance that their rides are safe.”

“All parents and the community would expect model railways to have such an assurance in place, so that children can enjoy these train rides without being put at risk.”

“There have been incidents where people have been injured after a derailment on model railways — a passenger was injured on this railway last year — and the regulations are there to help prevent this from happening.”

“The Department was following up on the passenger’s injury when it discovered that the Kapiti Miniature Railway’s registration had expired in 2001, and that it had been nine years since an independent registered engineer had carried out a safety check on it.”

“Complying with the regulations isn’t hard, and the Kapiti Coast District Council and the Department will be working closely with the Kapiti Miniature Railway to get the railway registered. We hope to do this quickly so that the children on the Kapiti Coast can again enjoy the delights of this model railway, knowing it is safe to ride on,” said Maarten Quivooy.