The new locomotives will replace an average age of 43-year-old rail fleet.
An electric bus is being trialled on Dunedin's public transport network starting Tuesday.
Documents show Waka Kotahi was warned in June it wouldn't open on September 27.
An investigation has revealed some shockingly bad welding and other dangers signed off as OK by specialist engineers.
Some cabs might be unsafe "but the criteria they are proposing does put the hoop too high".
Eight out of the ten top-selling passenger vehicles are now utes or SUVs, with two-thirds registered for personal use.
"This is America, I don't need any other reason than 'I want one'," one ute owner said.
"We are conscious of the impact this is having on vehicle owners," Waka Kotahi said.
Several owners have expressed distress at facing months of delay and thousands of dollars of bills.
