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37-541: The Rotorua Branch line had a long history of express trains between Auckland and Rotorua since the branch line opened in 1894. Until 1959, the Rotorua Express was steam-hauled and was one of New Zealand's premier trains in its heyday. It was initially only run thrice weekly in the peak Christmas and Easter period, but by 1902, it ran daily year-round, and in December 1903, dining cars were introduced. This

74-675: A "hook and tow" arrangement. They proposed reintroducing a number of regional services, Rotorua being one of these. ONTRACK stated in 2006 that there were two tentative proposals to operate passenger services on this line. The biggest hurdle facing the reinstatement of the Geyserland Express is that the Rotorua Branch line has been inactive and mothballed since not long after the passenger train's cessation, and although most track remains in place, it will have to be significantly repaired before it can be used again. Not having

111-524: A decade and ceased in 2001. Freight on the line previously comprised forestry and livestock products railed north from Rotorua. Train loads north were limited by the Tārukenga Bank west of Rotorua between Ngongotahā and Mamaku, with a steep ruling gradient of 1 in 35. In 1995 Tranz Rail launched the "Bay Raider" service, utilising roadrailer wagons able to run on rail and road, to connect Auckland, Rotorua, Napier and Gisborne. Between Rotorua and Napier

148-605: A line being built from Gisborne to link with Auckland via Te Teko and Rotorua. A Gisborne-Rotorua Line from Makaraka to Mōtū of about 37 miles (60 km) was authorised by the Railways Authorisation Act, 1904. Only the Gisborne end of this proposed line was started, which later became known as the Moutohora Branch and the proposal to connect it with Auckland was later changed to be with

185-630: A new line to Rotorua from Paengaroa on the East Coast Main Trunk, with an extension to the Waipa State Mill. An extension to Taupo was also seen by NZR "as being very attractive". This proposal followed from the recommendations of a 1963 Commission of Inquiry report to investigate "Improved Access by Land to the Port of Tauranga and Bay of Plenty", which recommended: The proposal created much attention both in support and against

222-485: A significant improvement in service, operating six days a week on a five-hour timetable. However, the railcars soon showed signs of ageing, and mechanical problems began to plague them towards the end of their service. The government of the day considered a replacement train too expensive and believed New Zealand Railways Road Services buses could provide an adequate service instead. The railcar service last operated on 11 November 1968. The only passenger trains to operate on

259-655: A southbound journey of 4 hours and 13 minutes duration and a slightly longer northbound journey of 4 hours and 16 minutes duration. Under the new timetable, train no. 401 departed Auckland at 8:04 am and arrived in Rotorua at 12:17 pm, and train no. 402 departed Rotorua at 1:30 pm for a 5:46 pm arrival in Auckland. Intermediate stops were at Middlemore , Papakura , Pukekohe , Huntly , Hamilton , Morrinsville , Matamata and Putāruru . A lack of profitability, partly due to poor advertising and marketing of

296-570: A station at Mamaku and plan to build another in Rotorua when services are extended there. Many sections of the western track from Mamaku towards Putāruru have been lifted or are heavily overgrown and not used. The lower portions of the track in Putāruru where it branches off the Kinleith Branch are heavily overgrown with gorse and blackberry - some sections have been commandeered by neighbouring businesses for temporary storage, in other places

333-582: A station in the central city at Rotorua also does not help make any potential rail passenger service look attractive. Rotorua Branch The Rotorua Branch is a railway line from Putāruru to Rotorua , in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions of the North Island of New Zealand . Construction of the line was commenced by the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company and finished by

370-499: Is now the Kinleith Branch line was opened just before the Mount Tarawera eruption (21 June 1886). The line to Rotorua was opened by Prime Minister, Richard Seddon , on Saturday 8 December 1894. In 1879 George Vesey Stewart and others proposed a railway between Tauranga and Rotorua, but this did not eventuate. The Rotorua line in its original form was a mainline which ran from Morrinsville through to Rotorua. With

407-557: The East Coast Main Trunk line via Tauranga, following a 1911 survey. Extension of the line to Taupō had been proposed several times over the years, primarily to take advantage of forestry traffic from the region. One such proposal got as far as the construction phase in 1928, however, due to the onset of the Great Depression , work ceased a year later in 1929. In 1968 NZR announced a proposal to construct

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444-444: The Geyserland Express name. In response to the trust's proposal, national rail operator KiwiRail stated that it would not consider running such a service unless a third party contributed funding as the service would not be financially viable by itself. KiwiRail has also indicated that it would need to see a sound business case for reinstating the train that proves there would be sufficient demand with 120 passengers daily thought to be

481-594: The Public Works Department (PWD). The complete line, 50.5 kilometres (31.4 mi) in length, opened in two sections; on 24 November 1893 to Tārukenga and the final 8 mi 43 ch (13.7 km) to Rotorua on 8 December 1894. The line was partially constructed by the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company. The company began planning of the line from 1877, following the passing of the District Railways Act 1877. Construction of

518-853: The Rotorua Branch line for the next 23 years were chartered excursions. The introduction of the locomotive-hauled Overlander on the North Island Main Trunk Railway in 1991 meant that the Silver Fern railcars could be deployed on new services. Two new provincial expresses were inaugurated for the Silver Ferns: the Kaimai Express between Tauranga and Auckland, and the Geyserland Express between Auckland and Rotorua. The twice daily service began operating on 9 December 1991, just over 23 years since

555-461: The Rotorua line did not begin until after its survey, from 1881. The survey took 12 months to find a suitable route to Rotorua over the Mamaku Ranges . The company only ever completed the section between Morrinsville and Tīrau (called Oxford at that time), and this opened on 8 March 1886. The Government took over its operations in 1886. From this time onwards, PWD undertook construction of

592-517: The cancellation of the last regular passenger service to Rotorua. The morning service, train no. 401, departed Auckland at 8:45 am, reaching Rotorua at 12:45 pm; its return run, train no. 402, left Rotorua at 1:30 pm and reached Auckland at 5:30 pm. The afternoon service, train no. 403, departed Auckland at 12:45 pm and arrived in Rotorua at 4:45 pm; its return run, train no. 404, left Rotorua at 5:30 pm and arrived in Auckland at 9:30 pm. An unfortunate situation for

629-485: The eastern section from the summit at Mamaku towards Rotorua is used by Mamaku-based adventure tourism company Rail Riders. Working with KiwiRail and the Rotorua-Ngongotaha Rail Trust, the company operates its New Zealand-designed and built "rail cruisers" on a section of the branch line between Mamaku and Tarukenga (since 2011), with plans to later extend to Rotorua-Mamaku. They have constructed

666-400: The idea, in particular with the proposed siting of new marshalling yards at Ngapuna, together with extending the existing Rotorua Branch line with a level crossing across Fenton Street. The proposal became a hot political debate and by 1973 NZR started to back down on the proposal and the scheme fell through shortly after. Two named passenger services operated on the line. The Rotorua Express

703-485: The large abattoirs or freezing works in the South Auckland suburbs of Westfield and Southdown. Now there are local freezing works served by road transport, and stock numbers (particularly sheep) have reduced. The stations were - (Kaponga until 4/6/1892) (reopened July 1991-10/12/2001) (reopened July 1991-10/12/2001) (reopened July 1991-10/12/2001) In 1989 the Rotorua central city station and rail yard

740-583: The line being stolen. In 2012, the Rotorua District Council demolished the Lake Road overbridge at Koutu to enable the widening of Lake Road to four lanes, to be built across the railway line at this locality. The new four-lane road was built over the top of the track, which now separates the former Koutu freight yard from the mainline. The bridge had been built in 1937 to replace a level crossing. New Zealand Railways Corporation still own

777-499: The line between Putaruru and Rotorua, which put the cost of doing so at $ 8.3 million. Work required included: The interested parties planned to establish a working group to determine the level of demand and economic feasibility of services on the line. In December 2009 KiwiRail leased the Rotorua Branch line (Putaruru - Koutu) to the Rotorua Ngongotaha Rail Trust, which has since worked on plans to turn

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814-492: The line could be relaid to a proposed new passenger station in the central city on the corner of Ranolf and Amohau Streets, which was being pursued by the Second Chance Train Trust and the Rotorua District Council. In June 1995 the Rotorua District Council considered a report for building a new terminal, but the new station never eventuated. During the late 1990s traffic on the line gradually declined with

851-458: The line, letting it in a series of contracts from March 1887, Daniel Fallon's Ngātira (12.41 km (7.71 mi)) and Kaponga ( Mamaku ) (17.08 km (10.61 mi)) contracts being first, then John Maclean and Sons to Tārukenga (7.83 km (4.87 mi)), the line there being opened on 24 November 1893. The line from Tārukenga to Rotorua (14.05 km (8.73 mi)) was begun by Stewart and Hunter in 1887. The section to Lichfield on what

888-472: The name Rotorua Express in 1937, and during World War II , services had to be cut to thrice weekly due to coal shortages, and then to twice weekly after the war. Patronage plummeted as travellers opted for other modes of transport, but the Rotorua Express survived to be the last provincial steam-hauled express, operating for the final time on 6 February 1959. It was replaced by an 88 seater railcar service. The introduction of railcars on this route provided

925-505: The necessary guarantee. In April 1995 the twice-daily afternoon services were cut back to Friday and Sunday only, due to poor patronage. A daily service still remained on all other days. In November 1996 the twice-daily afternoon services on Friday and Sunday ceased altogether. In 2000 a timetable change was made to enable the introduction of the Waikato Connection commuter service between Hamilton and Auckland and allowed for

962-518: The new service was the terminal at Rotorua, which was now the Koutu freight yard. The line into the Travel Centre in the central city had been closed and lifted in 1990. On 9 September 1995, a new but very small passenger station operated by the Second Chance Train Trust was opened on the north side of the Lake Road bridge at the entrance to the Koutu freight yard. The new passenger station at Koutu

999-614: The number required for the service to break-even. This proposal has yet to come to fruition. In September 2006 a joint proposal was put forward to the government by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union and the Green Party, to have long-distance passenger rail services transferred to the government-owned track company ONTRACK (now part of the KiwiRail group) and make ONTRACK an operator, with Toll NZ supplying locomotives and drivers in

1036-470: The opening of the Kaimai Tunnel in 1978, the section of line between Morrinsville and Waharoa became part of the East Coast Main Trunk line between Hamilton and Kawerau, whilst the section of line between Waharoa and Kinleith became the Kinleith Branch line. The section of line between Putāruru and Rotorua becoming the Rotorua Branch line. The line from Rotorua was planned to become part of

1073-480: The rail corridor across the road south through to Pukuatua Street. The former rail corridor south of Pukuatua Street has since been relinquished and now been developed over in conjunction with a retail development on the neighbouring former Telecom depot site. On 13 January 2009, the Geyserland Express Trust announced that it had commissioned and received a report on the feasibility of reopening

1110-496: The road railers operated in "road" mode. The forestry industry operated numerous sawmills on the branch line; the largest was at Mamaku , which had its own bush tramway connecting to the NZR line. The branch had 4 tramways connected to it, run by Gamman, Bartholomew Timber, South Taranaki and Selwyn Timber. For many years after World War II sheep and cattle from land developments south of Rotorua were railed by special stock trains to

1147-408: The service, led to the cancellation of the Geyserland Express early in the 21st century. At its end the train was attracting an average of only 30 to 40 passengers per day which was unsustainable and thus the final service ran on 7 October 2001. Following the cancellation of the service the Geyserland Express Trust was established, seeking to re-instate the train as a five-star tourist venture under

Geyserland Express - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-482: The twice-daily Geyserland Express railcar service being reduced in 1995 to a daily service with twice-daily services on Fridays and Sundays only, and in 1996 reduced to a daily service on all days. The nightly Bay Raider freight service was cancelled in 2000 and the Geyserland Express was cancelled in 2001. Since this time the line has fallen into disrepair, with slips, overgrown vegetation and sections of

1221-621: The unused corridor and track into a tourism venture. The trust has restored part of the line and did initially have discussions with the Rotorua District Council to assist with its plans to continue the national cycleway system in the District at the time of acquiring the line. The trust hopes that when the line is fully repaired, it will be possible for freight and passenger services to resume, with steam enthusiast operators from around New Zealand, able to bring their own excursion trains to Rotorua. The line remains closed to heavy rail traffic, while

1258-603: Was a rare feature for trains operated by the New Zealand Railways Department , but shortages during World War I led to their withdrawal. In the post-war period, the service was briefly cancelled in 1919, but by 1925, it was experiencing a resurgence as more powerful motive power became available in the form of A class locomotives, and in 1930, it was upgraded to become the Rotorua Limited, completing its journey in six hours. It reverted to

1295-416: Was closed and, along with the last 2 km of the line, removed and relocated to a new site at Koutu. The Geyserland Express railcar service initially terminated in the Koutu freight yard until a small temporary passenger station operated by the Second Chance Train Trust opened on the northern side of the Lake Road overbridge in 1995. The new passenger station at Koutu was intended as temporary measure until

1332-622: Was initiated in 1894 and in 1930 became the Rotorua Limited - the most prestigious train in New Zealand at that time. The service later reverted to the Rotorua Express with more stops; and in 1959 was replaced by 88-seater Fiat railcars . This railcar service ceased in 1968. In 1991 a new twice daily tourist-oriented service called the Geyserland Express was initiated, using Silver Fern railcars. This service lasted

1369-535: Was intended as a temporary measure until the line could be relaid to a proposed new passenger station in the central city on the corner of Ranolf and Amohau Streets, which was being pursued by the Second Chance Train Trust and the Rotorua District Council. The new station never eventuated as the Rotorua District Council would not commit funding unless Tranz Rail guaranteed that the Geyserland Express would continue to run, and Tranz Rail would not make

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