The acquisition of new locomotives was first proposed by
Tranz Rail in 2002, who investigated the General Motors EMD FT42CU, to be classified as the DK class. This locomotive, in essence, would have been a single-cabbed version of the
EMD Class 66 locomotive, with the second cab replaced by dynamic brake equipment. Tranz Rail's finances meant it never managed to place an order before
Toll NZ purchased Tranz Rail in 2003. The DK class proposal was shelved, with Toll instead working on a different locomotive concept known as the DL class. Toll's DL class was based on building a brand new double-cab clone of the
DX class locomotives, using common components from the DX class, such as the same bogies, traction motors, and General Electric 7FDL-12 engine. The locomotives would have a newly manufactured frame and would be built in Toll Rail's own workshops. The DX class was the best and most reliable locomotive in the fleet, and
Hutt Workshops already had expertise in the heavy overhaul and rebuild of the DX class locomotives. This DL proposal was also known in its final form as the "Arakaha" locomotive proposal, with the intention for the locomotives to be built at Hillside Workshops. When Toll assumed responsibility for the rail operation in 2003, the
New Zealand Railways Corporation again took over the maintenance of the railway network under the trading name ONTRACK. After several years of negotiations, the two parties could not come to an agreement on the amount that Toll should pay for access to the rail network (track access fees), and Toll did not purchase any new locomotives while this issue remained unresolved. In July 2008, the
fifth Labour Government announced the purchase of Toll Rail from Toll, renaming it KiwiRail, and merged it with ONTRACK, creating one company that controlled both rail operations and rail infrastructure. Soon after the new company was officially launched, the State-Owned Enterprises Minister
Trevor Mallard announced that the government was investigating the possibility of assembling new locomotives at
Hutt Workshops, then operated by
United Group Rail, from imported parts and based on the Arakaha concept. The need for new locomotives by now was pressing, and the Arakaha proposal was dropped as not being able to produce the required locomotives quickly enough. The newly formed KiwiRail board turned its attention to buying new locomotives from established manufacturers, picking up the DK class concept but with components in common with the DX class where practicable and retaining a double-cab. Following a public tender process,
Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock (CNR Group) was awarded the $75 million contract for new locomotives, with the new locomotive based on the manufacturer's CKD9 model. Following the election of the
fifth National government in November 2008, the investment programme initiated by the previous government was suspended pending a review. In March 2009, the government announced that it had authorised KiwiRail to invest $115m in new rolling stock: $75m for 20 locomotives, and $40m for new
carriages for
Tranz Scenic. the DL class name was later chosen to reflect the town where they were built -
Dalian in northeast China.
Criticism The idea of building the locomotives in New Zealand as advocated by the Labour government was promoted as a way of creating jobs at a time when the economy was entering a recession and unemployment was rising. Critics of the idea pointed out that New Zealand did not possess the necessary skilled labour in sufficient quantity for such a construction program to proceed in a timely manner, and had not done so for several decades since
New Zealand Government Railways ceased building its own locomotives - all mainline locomotives since the introduction of diesel traction in the 1950s have been imported. The alternative of importing locomotives from China was billed as the quickest way to obtain the necessary new motive power, a backlog of orders on United States and Australian manufacturers meant that it would take "many years" before the locomotives entered service. Critics questioned the reliability of the locomotives, although it was claimed that these problems were a product of a lack of maintenance. The union was involved with the design of the cab, and Union representatives were sent to China to check up on the building process and sign off on the locomotive before they were shipped to New Zealand. ==Design==