44-569: The Bay Express was a passenger train between Wellington and Napier in New Zealand's North Island , operating from Monday, 11 December 1989 until Sunday, 7 October 2001. It was operated by New Zealand Railways Corporation 's InterCity Rail division, later known as Tranz Scenic . The Bay Express was preceded by the Endeavour , which ran the same route from 1972 until 1989. The Endeavour started service with upgraded carriages and
88-445: A frequent-flyer program mileage award are usually included. This term is used in the transportation industry, in particular in traffic measures such as revenue passenger kilometer (RPK) and revenue passenger mile (RPM). Revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) and revenue passenger miles (RPMs) are measures of traffic for an airline flight, bus , or train calculated by multiplying the number of revenue-paying passengers aboard
132-474: A bottom-up review of the business indicated that the Bay Express was not a financially sustainable service. By 2001, roughly 45 passengers were riding the Bay Express per trip, and it was proving to be unprofitable. Subsidies from the central government or other bodies were not forthcoming, and despite protests against cessation and proposals on how to improve ridership, the cancellation of the Bay Express
176-612: A buffet car, but in August 1981 these were diverted to the North Island Main Trunk as the Blue Fern and replaced by carriages of lesser quality without a buffet car. The introduction of the Bay Express was intended to return the standard of Hawkes Bay passenger services back to their former level. The trains consisted of two modular guards vans converted into power-luggage vans with 11 kW petrol generators at
220-518: A continuous sheet of glass the length of the carriage, was spectacular and undoubtedly was a major factor in the success of the new service. The other two carriages were red Picton – Greymouth carriages that were refitted and repainted to the same standard but retained their smaller windows and seated 50, same seating arrangement and type as the servery car. Reducing the service to an "out and back" format as opposed to "one each way" freed up carriages for other services, and by refurbishing existing stock it
264-546: A private tourist firm. The original carriage offered enhanced services, including complimentary meals, refreshments and newspapers. However, this second carriage, also named a Connoisseurs' car, and which also offered improved services over those afforded to other TranzAlpine passengers, was transferred to the North Island Main Trunk passenger services by the end of 1991. The train runs daily between Christchurch and Greymouth . After leaving Christchurch,
308-503: A slight alteration made to facilitate more comfort on the head and neck. The train included two of three remaining Endeavour cars, each seating 51 in the same seat type and format with large viewing windows like those on the TranzAlpine . The last car of the consist featured a large observation window at the rear. A new form of pressure-ventilation was installed in all three carriages, with associated ceiling-mounted trunking to filter
352-601: Is a passenger train operated by the Great Journeys New Zealand division of KiwiRail in the South Island of New Zealand over the Midland Line ; often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes (see famous trains ). The journey is 223 kilometres (139 mi) one-way, taking almost five hours. There are 16 tunnels and four viaducts, with
396-820: The COVID-19 pandemic , but resumed on 14 January 2022. The train was introduced on 22 November 1987 to replace the conventional Christchurch-Greymouth express trains and became one of the New Zealand Railways Corporation 's new tourist-oriented passenger services utilising refurbished rolling stock. Accompanying this new-look train were a new-look livery and rebranding. From late 1982 until 1983, twelve second class NZR 56-foot carriages , three with luggage compartments at one end, were refurbished with new "Supervent" windows, fluorescent strip lights, wall-to-wall carpet, and later still, new seats designed by Addington Workshops were introduced to replace
440-497: The Southerner was not operating it was common to see these carriages bolstering the three hard-pressed TranzAlpine carriages. In 1991, a Southerner power-luggage van had the end module away from the handbrake end converted into an open viewing area for passengers to enhance the already spectacular scenery on the route. Realising this increased public attention, and with the success of air-conditioned panorama carriage trains on
484-586: The Christchurch Press. His consulting was initiated by John Bennett, Canterbury and Westland Branch manager at the time. John Bennett was soon after promoted to Intercity National Manager, perhaps as a result of the work. Initially, the locomotives that were used on the service were DJ class locomotives , and, following the withdrawal of the DJ class in the early 1990s, two DC class locomotives . DF class locomotives were only sporadically used in 1992. As
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#1732782810399528-842: The North Island Main Trunk, between August 1994 and April 1995, eight carriages (one a former Southerner then InterCity spare buffet car, one a former Endeavour later Southerner servery car, two from the Northerner , two from the Southerner and two from Auckland suburban services) were extensively overhauled and refitted with panorama windows like the earlier TranzAlpine , TranzCoastal (later Coastal Pacific), pressure-ventilated Bay Express and air-conditioned Northerner / Overlander Express trains and seating 50 (day carriages) and 26 (servery carriages), alcove-style, in new seats like those installed in refitted Wairarapa Connection and North Island Main Trunk carriages. An FM class modular van
572-557: The Staircase Viaduct elevated as much as 75 metres (246 ft). The train has become increasingly popular, and carried 204,000 passengers in the financial year ending 2007. By 2016, passenger numbers were approximately 130,000 a year, but rising again after the setback of the Christchurch earthquake , and were exceeding pre-earthquake levels. The TranzAlpine service was suspended in 2020 and again in 2021 because of
616-541: The air throughout each car. The train attracted good patronage and, from 1993 onward, the odd Northerner car or two, a thoroughly refurbished Auckland excursion car and later a thoroughly refurbished Wairarapa Connection car, the Auckland excursion modular van with a 37.5-kW generator housed in the non-handbrake end module, the first and third modular NIMT 11-kW power-luggage vans were frequently being used to bolster this service. From 12 January until 25 January 1993,
660-460: The carrier act with a certain standard of care. The number of passengers that a vehicle or vessel may legally carry is defined as its seating capacity . A revenue passenger is someone who has paid a transport operator for her or his trip. That excludes non-paying passengers such as airline employees flying on free or nearly-free passes , babies and children who do not have a seat of their own, etc. However, passengers who paid for their trip with
704-406: The driver or pilot of the vehicle, are usually not considered to be passengers. For example, a flight attendant on an airline would not be considered a passenger while on duty and the same with those working in the kitchen or restaurant on board a ship as well as cleaning staff, but an employee riding in a company car being driven by another person would be considered a passenger, even if the car
748-482: The driver other than the benefit of his or her company or the mere sharing of expenses". In other situations, however, guest statutes may limit the ability of passengers to sue the driver of the vehicle over an accident. Many places require cars to be outfitted with measures specifically for the protection of passengers, such as passenger-side air bags . With respect to passengers on commercial vehicles or vessels, both national laws and international treaties require that
792-503: The eight air-conditioned carriages were introduced in 1994–1995, the train still borrowed panorama carriages from the Southerner because of the train's increasing popularity. As part of the rebranding of the New Zealand Railways Corporation during the 1980s, a new dark blue livery was applied to the TranzAlpine , with a horizontal full-length 220 mm thick white stripe sandwiching a 100 mm thick red band. The name InterCity
836-588: The first Southerner power-luggage van with its viewing module restored as a luggage module and the third of three modular vans assigned to the Endeavour . The two panorama cars were completely refurbished, each with 50 seats to a design introduced on the Overlander , and air conditioned. At one end in each car, eight seats were arranged in bays of four, alcove-style, the rest forward-facing. The two "new" power-luggage vans featured 50-kW generators, also housed in
880-459: The first of three 56 foot air-conditioned rear-view cars and the first of three 90-kW power-luggage vans exclusive to the Northerner and Overlander passenger trains were put to use on the Napier train for trial purposes. In the meantime, one of the 51-seat cars exclusive to this train was transferred for trial use on the Southerner . On Sunday, 12 November 1995 the Bay Express , consisting of
924-521: The former articulated diesel-hauled AC class "Grassgrub" carriages. A matching 56-foot van and six 50-foot wooden bogie box wagons for parcels completed the consist. Some of these wagons had served in the same capacity and in the green colour scheme with the Grassgrubs on the Picton and Greymouth routes and one wagon had served the old yellow Northerner as a parcels van, prior to the introduction of
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#1732782810399968-727: The general public commenced the next day. Unlike the TranzAlpine and TranzCoastal services, the Bay Express primarily relied upon local point to point traffic and as a result, was placed under increasing pressure by the continued real drop in airline ticket prices over the 1990s, and the price of owning and operating private cars. The travel time of the Bay Express was uncompetitive compared with both air and car travel (five hours thirty minutes on average by rail compared to one hour by air and four hours by car). Long-distance coaches had similar travel times and cheaper fares. Following significant changes in management within Tranz Rail,
1012-468: The handbrake ends (one from Mitsubishi , Japan, the other from Daewoo , Korea) and three 1930s-built NZR 56-foot carriages , one a former red Picton/Greymouth car extensively rebuilt into a servery and rearview observation car with 24 seats, arranged alcove-style around tables. The seats were Addington Workshops -built and installed in this car for the Picton/Greymouth runs, reupholstered with
1056-414: The handbrake ends. All were painted in the new Cato blue scheme. The servery and rear-view car was merely inspected for damage and cleared to run with the newer stock, but later incorporated the horizontal full-length 350-mm Tranz Scenic band on the sides in place of the white stripe and yellow band. The dark blue livery remained til 1997. In 1997, while the refurbished buffet car resumed temporary duties on
1100-628: The non-commute leg of a commuter bus service. In such cases, the main display signs on the front and curbside of the bus typically display a message such as “no pax” or “out of service” (sometimes abbreviated as “O/S”). In British railway parlance, passenger, as well as being the end user of a service, is also a categorisation of the type of rolling stock used. In the British case, there are several categories of passenger train , which include: [REDACTED] Media related to Passengers at Wikimedia Commons TranzAlpine The TranzAlpine
1144-401: The overall passenger load factor . These measurements can further be used to measure unit revenues and unit costs. In transportation, a "no pax" trip is a trip without passengers. For example, no-pax flights are Air cargo , ferry and positioning flights. Similarly, with a public transit bus it can be used at the beginning and end of a driver’s work shift to/from the bus terminal, or in
1188-405: The power/baggage van. To compensate for luggage on the reformed train, the original TranzAlpine van was stripped of its generator and made to carry luggage only. In 1998, a second van , which was also one of three so fitted as 11 kW power/baggage vans for the original TranzAlpine and Coastal Pacific , was equipped with 90kW generator housed in the central module, for this train. Even after
1232-583: The run as it had in 1991 and 1993, the servery and rear-view car was refurbished. All seats were reupholstered and the interior decor altered to match the other cars, and the new "Cato blue" paint scheme applied on the exterior. The timetable had an 8 am departure from Wellington, reaching Napier at 1.30 pm. The return service departed Napier at 2.30 pm and arrived in Wellington at 8 pm. The first service, for invited guests and dignitaries, operated on 10 December 1989 and regular services for
1276-464: The second Northerner power-luggage van, a Northerner car, a Bay Express car and its servery and rear-view car was involved in a derailment when it entered a 50 km/h marked curve at 90 km/h. The locomotive, DX 5310 , rolled over and suffered extensive damage, not returning to service until 2001; and a member of the public riding in the cab suffered injuries that proved fatal the following day. The power-luggage van and Northerner car – which
1320-528: The servery car. In the early 1990s, the first generation TranzAlpine panorama carriages had a new pressure ventilation system installed, similar to the Bay Express and the observation carriage introduced to this train in 1991. In 1988, the train won a Tourism New Zealand Award and was voted as one of the top 10 "short" train journeys in the world. This was the result of the work of a freelance consulting designer and writer Paul Teague, who also worked at
1364-473: The size of the old ones, enabling better views of the alpine scenery, reupholstered seats and carpet, and a buffet counter service, to replace refreshment stops at railway station cafeterias at Springfield and Otira . The original intention had been to replace each pair of windows with one larger window, but the final solution was to cut out the side of the carriages and to insert a steel ladder frame to which sheets of strengthened glass were glued. The effect, of
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1408-445: The train became longer, one or two DX class locomotives were used from December 1992, or sometimes a DC and DX class locomotive each. On 26 November 2012, the new AK class carriages that were built at Hillside Workshops , were introduced on the service replacing the "big-window" AO carriages. Since mid-2013, fire-suppressed DXC locomotives have been assigned to the service. The TranzAlpine' s popularity increased, and on days
1452-836: The train travels through the fertile Canterbury Plains past the Waimakariri River along the Main South Line , to Rolleston . It then turns onto the Midland Line , which passes through the Southern Alps past the spectacular Waimakariri River gorge, via Arthur's Pass and the Otira Tunnel and over the Alpine Fault , terminating in Greymouth, on the West Coast . There are proposals to extend
1496-437: The transitional light blue stripe. In early 1991, a former Endeavour car was completely rebuilt as a panorama and rear-view car to replace the (first) Connoisseur carriage, that car refurbished in the standard "big window" InterCity seats and tables carriage format. In a continuous attempt to attract the travelling public back to rail, InterCity expanded on what had begun in 1987, when a Southerner car had been leased to
1540-548: The twelve 56-foot carriages. These carriages and wagons, like their Grassgrub predecessors, worked the Picton Express (out and back) and Greymouth or West Coast Expresses (one each way simultaneously). All were painted in a bright red colour scheme. With the deterioration of the yellow Northerner stock, carriages to replace these had to be found by sourcing from the rest of the NZR 56-foot carriage fleet. The change in service
1584-458: The vehicle by the distance traveled . On long-distance buses and trains (and some planes), passengers may board and disembark at intermediate stops, in which case RPMs/RPKs have to be calculated for each segment if a careful total is needed. Revenue passenger miles can be considered the basic amount of "production" that an airline creates. The revenue passenger miles can be compared to the available seat miles over an airline's system to determine
1628-521: Was announced, effective 8 October 2001. Passenger A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle , but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles , buses , cars , passenger trains , airliners , ships , ferryboats , personal watercrafts , all terrain vehicles , snowmobiles , and other methods of transportation. Crew members (if any), as well as
1672-425: Was being driven on company business. In most jurisdictions, laws have been enacted that dictate the legal obligations of the owner of a vehicle or vessel, or of the driver or pilot of the same, towards the passengers. With respect to passengers riding in cars and vans, the driver may owe a duty of care to passengers, particularly where the passenger's presence in the vehicle can be seen to "confer some benefit on
1716-553: Was hoped that the move would draw people to the previously poorly-performing Greymouth passenger trains. The service proved to be popular, with patronage doubling in the first year, with 7,183 passengers in January 1988 alone. Soon, two more Picton – Greymouth carriages were refitted similar to the servery and observation car, so the two small-window carriages could be slotted into the Southerner consists. These new "big window" carriages each sat 51, same seating arrangement and type as
1760-466: Was imposed into the stripe as well. This dark blue livery would become standard and remain contemporary until 18 October 1995. In 1990, when New Zealand Rail Limited took over rail operations from the corporation, the InterCity livery was modified to facilitate the new blue and yellow primary colours, and the red band on carriage sides was replaced by a 100 mm yellow one. In 1993–1994 the yellow band
1804-496: Was marked, with a refurbished modular FM van turned power-luggage van with handbrake end-mounted 11 kW petrol generator, and three carriages, one from the Endeavour Express and later Southerner Express converted into a servery car seating 31 in reupholstered Addington Workshops -produced seats, in bays of four with two pairs of seats each facing into a table, arranged alcove-style, with windows over double
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1848-444: Was refitted with a 90kW generator in the central module as opposed to the handbrake end modules on NIMT vans, to facilitate converting one end module into a public open viewing area. In 1995, the viewing van had its second end module converted for public access to match the first end. This was to facilitate its being marshalled into the centre of the new train, which was now re-organised into two four-car trainsets in one, separated by
1892-497: Was replaced by a green 100 mm band, the white stripe and dark blue livery retained. In 1995, a new full-length 350 mm light blue stripe, incorporating the Tranz Scenic logo was introduced on carriages that were not painted all over in the new blue colour scheme. However, during the 1995 rebranding, the TranzAlpine carriages were the first long-distance passenger carriages to receive the new paint scheme and did not wear
1936-442: Was unoccupied – derailed but remained upright. The Bay Express car and servery car remained on the rails. This resulted in the recently refurbished buffet car, a Northerner car and the first NIMT 90-kW power-luggage van forming a replacement train until Christmas 1995. Apart from the servery and rear-view car, the train was fully re-equipped, with two former Picton – Greymouth later TranzAlpine and TranzCoastal panorama cars,
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