85-551: The Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand Incorporated (known by its acronym FRONZ ) represents the interests of the heritage and tourist rail industry in New Zealand . The organisation's 70 members, range from commercial full-time operators such as Dunedin Railways and Christchurch Tramway to small, volunteer only, organisations such as those preserving individual railway stations or historic sites. The group
170-540: A 10-year turnaround plan for the rail industry. This was accompanied by significant government investment in KiwiRail of over $ 2.1 billion during the period 2008 to February 2017. In May 2017, the government announced a further $ 450 million capital injection and that KiwiRail would be subject to a further significant review. The plan has been significantly undermined by the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011,
255-447: A branch from Invercargill to Bluff to the international standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ). 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge (internationally known as narrow gauge) was chosen due to the need to cross mountainous terrain in the country's interior and the lower cost of construction. Due to multiple rail gauges being used by railways built by provincial governments,
340-518: 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
425-488: A law was required for gauge uniformity met from that month. By majority the select committee reported back to the house in favour of narrow gauge being adopted as the uniform gauge nationwide, and allowing Canterbury Provincial Railways to continue to expand its broad-gauge network, with dual-gauge track where narrow gauge met broad gauge. William Sefton Moorhouse MHR, former superintendent of Canterbury Province and advocate for broad gauge, and William Rolleston MHR, at
510-627: A national network connecting major centres in New Zealand was never realised. Despite the abolition of the provinces in 1876, parochial interests often overcame national interests, and the government approved and built many branch lines to lightly populated hinterlands, instead of prioritising interprovincial main trunks. As a result, a number of routes first proposed by Vogel in 1870 were still not complete by 1920. Bush tramways were usually privately owned light railways , usually for logging operations. Usually built with light tracks and light-weight rolling stock, bush tramways were usually connected to
595-616: A new rail hub complex in Hamilton and another planned for Mosgiel . In 2019, the government began a "Future of Rail" review, and in December 2019 released a draft New Zealand Rail Plan, outlining changes to the rail transport industry. The draft plan proposes a number of major changes, the most significant being future funding of the rail network through the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF). The final plan
680-651: A number of heritage operators run charter specials from time to time. Urban passenger rail services exist only in Auckland and Wellington . Rail in New Zealand has received significant and ongoing government investment since re-nationalisation in 2008, with the two urban rail systems being upgraded. In 2021, the government launched the New Zealand Rail Plan, with funding for rail projects to come from National Land Transport Fund (NLTF), with KiwiRail remaining an SOE but paying Track Access Charges (TACs) to use
765-413: A number of options, including building main trunk lines at standard gauge, while using narrow gauge for branch lines. Engineers cited the experience of Queenland's railways , which had adopted narrow gauge in 1864. The select committee did not recommend making railway gauge uniform across the country, but did recommend narrow gauge if that were to happen, stating "narrow gauge appears calculated to carry all
850-546: 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,
935-482: A profit. In 1991, the rail, inter-island ferry and infrastructure businesses of the Railways Corporation were split off into a new SOE, New Zealand Rail Limited , which was in turn privatised in 1993, and renamed Tranz Rail in 1995. The parcels and bus service business units were also privatised, and the Railways Corporation continued to dispose of surplus land. The central government renationalised first
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#17328010583911020-558: Is 223 kilometres (139 mi) one-way, taking almost five hours. There are 16 tunnels and four viaducts, with 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
1105-445: Is a division of KiwiRail that maintains and upgrades the rail infrastructure and is responsible for the control of the network (i.e. train control and signalling). Other rail operating companies using the rail network include Auckland One Rail and Transdev Wellington , who operate suburban services in Auckland and Wellington respectively, and Dunedin Railways , who operate tourist trains out of Dunedin . KiwiRail released in 2010
1190-472: Is due to open in late 2025 at the earliest. Light rail networks are planned for Auckland , Wellington , and Christchurch. Advocacy group Greater Auckland proposed the Regional Rapid Rail initiative in 2017, including tilt trains with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. This network would provide passenger services linking Auckland with Hamilton , Tauranga and Rotorua . In December 2018,
1275-544: The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake , Pike River Mine disaster , coal price collapse, coal miner Solid Energy going into voluntary administration in 2016 and major motive power issues with the new DL class of locomotives. Nevertheless, significant improvements in freight volumes have followed (other than with coal). Two of KiwiRail's major customers, Mainfreight and Fonterra , also invested heavily in rail-related infrastructure. Mainfreight allocated $ 60 million for investment in new railhead depots, while Fonterra invested $ 130m in
1360-765: The Capital Connection between Wellington and Palmerston North , the Northern Explorer between Auckland and Wellington , the Coastal Pacific between Picton and Christchurch , the TranzAlpine between Christchurch and Greymouth , and Te Huia between Hamilton and Auckland Strand . Dunedin Railways operates tourist trains out of Dunedin , with frequent services on part of the former Otago Central Railway line and occasional services north from Dunedin to Palmerston. This service
1445-568: The Ferrymead Railway in 1863, most public railway lines were short, built by provincial governments and connected major centres to their nearest seaport (such as Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton Harbour ). From the 1870s, the focus shifted to building a nationwide network linking major centres, especially during the Vogel Era of railway construction following the abolition of the provinces. Narrow gauge of 3ft 6in (1,067mm)
1530-576: The Government of New Zealand committed funding to reintroducing a five-year trial rail service, named Te Huia , between Papakura in southern Auckland to Hamilton, starting in 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand , the Te Huia service had been delayed commencing operations to sometime after 3 August 2020, changed from its initial announced opening date of March 2020. In 2020,
1615-522: The New Zealand Wars . They were also tasked with investigating a uniform railway gauge for New Zealand. In 1870, James Macandrew MHR called for another select committee to investigate the need for a law to require one uniform railway gauge for the entire colony. Information from Featherston and Dillon Bell reached Wellington in August 1870, and the second select committee to investigate whether
1700-580: The Parliament on rail-related legislation and regulations, and is a regular commentator on rail-related issues and events. FRONZ holds an annual conference for all its members. The current officers of the group are: Rail transport in New Zealand Rail transport in New Zealand is an integral part of New Zealand's transport network , with a nationwide network of 4,375.5 km (2,718.8 mi) of track linking most major cities in
1785-587: The Railways Road Services , inter-island ferries and Rail Air service. NZR also had an extensive network of workshops. By 1981, NZR employed 22,000 staff. In the early 1980s, NZR was corporatised as the New Zealand Railways Corporation and drastically restructured, especially following the deregulation of land transport in 1983. The Corporation became a state-owned enterprise (SOE) in 1987, required to run at
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#17328010583911870-497: 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
1955-484: The 12 miles (19 km) between Napier and Hastings but some were replaced by a New Zealand Railways Road Services bus in 1926, and soon they ceased altogether. Worker's concession tickets had been introduced in 1897, initially for the Wellington-Hutt service, and extended next year to Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin (and then between Westport and Waimangaroa). A 1979 NZR report "Time for Change" said that
2040-588: The 1930s they ran from Christchurch to Springfield on the Midland Line, and into the 1950s overnight between Christchurch and Dunedin. On the North Island Main Trunk they ran during the day while the expresses ran at night. On the Okahukura-Stratford Line they lasted to the early 1970s. In the 1950s and 1960s, most provincial routes had railcar and locomotive-hauled passenger services. In 1965, 25 million passengers travelled by rail; by 1998
2125-465: The 667 km line reduced truck volumes on the route by around 120 per day. A 2008 study by the Ministry of Transport predicted that by 2031 rail freight volumes would increase to 23 million tonnes per annum or 70% on the 2006–2007 financial year. In 2018 the same report found freight levels had increased by 17% between 2007 and 2012. As of 2023, there are only five long-distance passenger routes:
2210-650: The Auckland Regional Council was granted slots for it to contract the operation of suburban passenger trains. Auckland railway stations not already local council-owned were transferred to Auckland Regional Transport Network Limited (ARTNL), owned by the Auckland territorial authorities, which was merged with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), a subsidiary of the Auckland Regional Council (ARC). With
2295-452: The Auckland metro railway network in 2001, then the rest of the network in 2004, and finally the rail and ferry operations in 2008, creating another SOE, KiwiRail . Today, services are primarily provided by KiwiRail and focused on bulk freight, with a small number of tourist orientated passenger services, such as the TranzAlpine , Coastal Pacific and Northern Explorer . Dunedin Railways also operate tourist trains out of Dunedin , and
2380-586: 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
2465-725: The House of Representatives (MHR) James Crowe Richmond , who had worked on the Great Western Railway and in railways in Belgium, became the most prominent advocate for a uniform narrow gauge nationwide. In late 1869 Francis Dillon Bell MHR and Issac Featherston MHR (also superintendent of the Wellington Province ) were in London to negotiate the retention of Imperial British forces then in New Zealand fighting
2550-842: 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
2635-503: The North and South Islands, connected by inter-island rail and road ferries. Rail transport in New Zealand has a particular focus on bulk freight exports and imports, with 19 million net tonnes moved by rail annually, accounting for more than half of rail revenue. Rail transport played an important role in the opening up and development of the hinterland outside of New Zealand's predominantly dispersed and coastal settlements. Starting with
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2720-527: The Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific ended their services in December 2021. On April 12, 2022, KiwiRail announced the return of the Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific services in September, alongside new multi day excursion trains at a later date. Horizons Regional Council 's 2021-2031 Regional Land Transport Plan noted that KiwiRail is considering a "connector service" which would link
2805-487: The Railways Department, now branded The Interislander . In 1982, the Railways Department was corporatised into a new entity at the same time land transport was deregulated. The Railways Department became the New Zealand Railways Corporation . The Corporation embarked on a major restructuring, laying off thousands of staff and cutting unprofitable services. After the 1983 land transport deregulation, there
2890-702: The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, nationalised in 1908, achieved any measure of success, with the rest being purchased by the Government before completion of their intended railway lines. One exception to this rule was the Ohai Railway Board in Southland, which was owned by the State Mines department and a local county council until its dissolution in 1990. The first major route
2975-637: The Wellington suburban services revenue met only 26% of operating costs (Dunedin was 28%, Auckland 46%). TranzAlpine The TranzAlpine 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
3060-862: The abolition of the provinces in 1876, railway lines were controlled by the central government, originally under the Public Works Department , and from 1880 under the New Zealand Railways Department. A Minister of Railways was responsible for the department and was a member of the New Zealand Cabinet . A few private companies built railways in New Zealand, including the New Zealand Midland Railway Company , Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company , Waimea Plains Railway , and Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company. Only
3145-433: The broad gauge network had been converted to narrow gauge. From 1870, the central government of Sir Julius Vogel proposed infrastructure including a national railway network to be funded by overseas loans of £10 million, under the guise of the "Great Public Works Policy". Settlement and land sales to immigrants from Britain resulting from this infrastructure investment would pay for the scheme. The first narrow-gauge line
3230-426: The company's total revenue. Freight is mostly bulk traffic geared towards export industries, with general freight being largely restricted to containerised and palletised products on the trunk route. Major bulk freight includes coal, lime, steel, wood and wood products, paper pulp, dry and liquid milk, cars, fertiliser, grain and shipping containers . Freight levels have returned to the level that they were at when
3315-490: The core rail operations of the Corporation were transferred to New Zealand Rail Limited, another state-owned enterprise, with the Corporation retaining non-core assets which were gradually disposed of, including a significant land portfolio. In many cases, the Corporation did not dispose of land due to Treaty of Waitangi claims and has continued to manage land. New Zealand Rail Limited was privatised in 1993. The company
3400-534: The creation of the "super-city" Auckland Council in 2010, ARTA was dissolved and its role was taken over by Auckland Transport , a new council-controlled organisation . In 2003, the share price of Tranz Rail dropped to a record low on the New Zealand sharemarket , dropping 88% in value in 12 months as a result of its poor financial state and credit downgrading. The government then considered various schemes for bailing it out in return for regaining control of
3485-495: The districts' populations to urban services. It also noted that rail service between Whanganui and Palmerston North could be established. The Plan proposes to replace the Capital Connection, a long-range commuter train, with a modern and larger train fleet that could operate at a higher frequency. Currently, Auckland and Wellington have suburban passenger services. In both cities, the respective local governments own
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3570-444: 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
3655-478: The electric trains on behalf of Auckland Transport (AT). In recent years the mothballed Onehunga Branch was reopened (2010) and a new line was built ( Manukau Branch , opened April 2012). Recent major projects include electrification of the Auckland suburban network and the building of the City Rail Link . Most Auckland rolling stock is owned by AT, which funds and coordinates all services. In 2017,
3740-411: The ferry service to Wellington ran in 1976. The 10.5 km line to Lyttelton was electrified from 1929 to 1970. There were worker's trains north to Rangiora; two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Dunedin had suburban trains to Port Chalmers and Mosgiel, withdrawn on 3 December 1982. The Invercargill to Bluff service stopped in 1967; in 1929 the sole Clayton steam railcar had been used. Trains ran
3825-521: 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
3910-492: The government announced funding for a number of rail-related infrastructure projects, mainly in the Auckland region. A business case is progressing for a branch railway to be built from the North Auckland Line to Northport at Marsden Point . Freight is carried by KiwiRail and provides the majority of its revenue traffic. In the 2017–2018 financial year, freight contributed $ 350.7 million in revenue or 57% of
3995-441: The major freight terminals. One of the reasons often cited for these policies was that the cost of using road transport to Tranz Rail was less than that of using rail because the road infrastructure is provided as a public good , whereas the rail network was a private good . The government purchased the Auckland metropolitan rail network from Tranz Rail for $ 81 million in 2002. Tranz Rail retained time slots for freight trains, and
4080-509: The national railway network and were often moved as the forest was cleared. The last bush tramway for logging native bush closed in 1974. Bush tramways should not be confused with urban street-cars , known in New Zealand as trams. In the 20th century, New Zealand cities had extensive tram networks. Most of these networks closed mid-century, being replaced by buses. There are now proposals in Auckland and Wellington for new light rail networks, New Zealand has no rapid transit metros. Following
4165-556: The network. Railway lines were initially constructed by the provincial governments of New Zealand from 1863 onwards. New Zealand's first public railway was opened in that year, running the short distance between Christchurch and the wharf at Ferrymead and built by the Canterbury Provincial Railways . The Canterbury Provincial Railways were built to the broad gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ). In February 1867, Southland Province opened
4250-821: The number had decreased to 11.7 million. A number of services came to an end in the early 2000s, including the Waikato Connection between Hamilton and Auckland, the Kaimai Express between Auckland and Tauranga, the Geyserland Express between Auckland and Rotorua, the Bay Express between Wellington and Napier, the Southerner between Christchurch and Invercargill and the Northerner night service between Auckland and Wellington. Two further long distance scheduled passenger services,
4335-436: The number of tonnes of traffic gained in 2008–2009 compared to the amount of traffic hauled in the 2006–2007 year). In recent years, the amount of freight moved by rail has increased substantially and has started to gain market share in non-bulk areas as well. Freight on the North Island Main Trunk line between Auckland and Palmerston North saw an increase of 39% in freight volumes between 2006 and 2007. The five daily trains on
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#17328010583914420-405: 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
4505-456: The prospect of a similar break of gauge problem to Australia (where narrow, standard and broad gauge railways were built by different colonial governments) became a major political issue as the provincial railways expanded. In 1867, the House of Representatives formed a select committee to investigate the issue, composed of members of parliament from all across New Zealand. The select committee heard evidence from railway engineers who proposed
4590-633: The rail infrastructure. Cited reasons included a "level playing field" for freight movements on road and rail, and ensuring access to the tracks for all interested parties. Toll Holdings of Australia made a successful takeover bid for Tranz Rail, subject to an agreement to sell back the infrastructure to the government for $ 1. In exchange, Toll was granted exclusive use of the rail network subject to minimum freight and passenger volumes, payment of track access charges and its own investment in new rolling stock. This transaction took place in July 2004, and Tranz Rail
4675-406: The railway had a virtual monopoly on land transport, prior to 1983. In 1980 11.8 million tonnes of freight was moved by rail, in 1994 this had decreased to 9.4 million tonnes. By 1999, tonnes carried had increased to 12.9 million tonnes, slightly more than the 1975 peak. In the 2006–2007 financial year, 13.7 million tonnes of freight were carried. This equated to 3.96 million net tonne kilometres (or
4760-538: The recently elected Labour -led Coalition government proposed to provide commuter rail in Christchurch and to provide long-distance commuter services from Auckland to Hamilton and Tauranga. Other cities (Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill and Napier-Hastings) once had suburban services, but they were withdrawn due to a lack of patronage. The Christchurch-Lyttelton suburban service was stopped in 1972 when passengers were down to "a busload". The last "boat train" for
4845-428: The required diesel locomotives. Auckland's network consists of four lines: Southern , Eastern , Western and Onehunga . All services on these lines are provided by AM class electric trains , the conversion from diesel being completed by the end of 2015 with the exception of the non-electrified section of track between Papakura and Pukekohe, where a diesel train shuttle service operates. Auckland One Rail operates
4930-528: 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
5015-556: The services have been operated by Transdev Wellington . Prior to Transdev, KiwiRail's Tranz Metro division held the contract. Wellington's suburban rolling stock consists of electric multiple units , with diesel locomotive-hauled carriage trains used on the Wairarapa service. All of the rolling stock (except the diesel locomotives) is owned by Greater Wellington Rail Limited, a subsidiary of Greater Wellington Regional Council. Transdev Wellington contracts KiwiRail to provide and operate
5100-473: 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
5185-618: The start of 2008. Instead of concluding a final track access agreement with Toll, in 2008 the government purchased the rail and ferry assets for $ 690 million, effective 1 July 2008. The new organisation created to operate services on the rail network was named KiwiRail . Ownership of the national rail network is vested in KiwiRail Holdings Limited, with land owned by the New Zealand Railways Corporation. KiwiRail Network (formerly ONTRACK)
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#17328010583915270-431: The suburban passenger rolling stock and contract the operation of services to a third-party, in both cases Transdev . The Wellington suburban network has five lines: Johnsonville , Kapiti , Melling , Hutt Valley and Wairarapa . In 1938, Wellington became the second city (after the Christchurch service to Lyttelton) to have electric suburban trains, and from 1970 to 2014 was the only city with them. From July 2016,
5355-715: The time superintendent of Canterbury Province, were in the minority on the select committee opposing the legislation. Despite this opposition, Parliament passed the Railways Act 1870 in September 1870, requiring all railways to be built or converted to narrow gauge, with an exemption of the Christchurch-Rakaia section of Canterbury Provincial Railways. Sections of the Canterbury railway network were converted to dual-gauge, including Rakaia to Lyttleton, with new branch lines built to narrow gauge. By 1878, all of
5440-500: The traffic for many years, and would possess the advantage of greater cheapness in construction; for this reason railways of this character should be encouraged." By 1869, 78 kilometres (48 mi) of provincial railways were open, with another 30 kilometres (19 mi) under construction, mainly in Southland and Canterbury. Parliamentary debate focused on the question of whether the provincial railways could keep their wider gauges, while narrow gauge railways were to be built. Member of
5525-445: 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
5610-836: 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
5695-437: 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
5780-548: 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
5865-414: Was a substantial rationalisation of freight facilities; many stations and smaller yards were closed and freight train services were sped up, increased in length and made heavier, with the removal of guard's vans in 1987 and the gradual elimination of older rolling stock, particularly four-wheeled wagons. In 1987, the Railways Corporation became a state-owned enterprise , required to make a profit. In 1990,
5950-684: Was accused of deliberately running down some lines through lack of maintenance. The Midland Line for example, which mostly carries coal from the West Coast to Lyttelton, was assessed to be in a safe but poor state by the LTSA government safety body in 2003, and has needed major repairs. Tranz Rail was accused of forcing freight onto the roads, and in 2002 introduced a containerisation scheme that assumed that most freight would be carried in containers on unit trains made up of fixed consists of flat deck wagons. Container loading depots were constructed at
6035-413: Was adopted nationally. Bush tramways or light industrial railways sprang up connecting to the national network as it expanded. Railways became centrally controlled as a government department under the names New Zealand Government Railways or New Zealand Railways Department (NZR), and land transport was heavily regulated from 1931 onwards. NZR eventually expanded into other transport modes, especially with
6120-415: Was completed between Christchurch and Dunedin in 1878, later extended to Invercargill the following year. The North Island Main Trunk , linking capital city Wellington with the largest city Auckland , opened in 1908 after 23 years of construction. At the network's peak in 1952, about 100 branch lines were operating. Large-scale closures of branch railway lines began in the 1960s and 1970s. The network
6205-666: Was founded as the National Federation of Rail Societies Incorporated on 30 June 1977. The group changed its name in 2002 to the Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand, and is known by its acronym FRONZ. In 2007, FRONZ purchased the last remaining English Electric D class locomotive, 1501, and concluded an agreement with the Diesel Traction Group to have the locomotive moved to their premises for restoration. FRONZ makes regular submissions to
6290-553: 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
6375-466: 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
6460-533: Was initially protected from road transport competition under the Transport Licensing Act 1931 , but this protection was gradually eased until its total abolition in 1983, along with the deregulation of the land transport industry. The networks of the North and South Islands were independent of one another until the introduction of the inter-island roll-on roll-off rail ferry service in 1962 by
6545-503: Was launched in April 2021, confirming funding for rail projects from the NLTF, and the use of Track Access Charges (TACs) for users of the rail network, including KiwiRail. Some specific projects were also outlined as possibilities: The City Rail Link is an underground rail line currently under construction linking Waitematā railway station to Maungawhau railway station in Auckland and
6630-496: 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
6715-540: Was mothballed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since restarted with a reduced timetable. Mixed trains were "once the backbone of the New Zealand railway passenger system" on branch and even main lines, but the last scheduled mixed train ran between Whangarei and Opua on 6 June 1977. With a "rake of assorted wagons" and one or two passenger carriages, often listed as "goods with car" in timetables, they were slow, often stopping and shunting wagons en route. In
6800-659: Was opened on 1 January 1873 in the Otago Province , the Port Chalmers Branch under the auspices of the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway Company Limited. Auckland's first railway, between Auckland and Onehunga , opened in December 1873. Vogel also arranged for Brogdens of England to undertake several rail construction contracts, to be built by "Brogden's Navvies" recruited in England. Vogel's vision of
6885-444: 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
6970-435: Was renamed Toll New Zealand . The government committed $ 200 million of taxpayer funding for deferred maintenance and capital improvements via a new subsidiary of the New Zealand Railways Corporation, ONTRACK. An interim agreement was signed by Toll NZ for track access; Toll paid a nominal track access charge while negotiating a final agreement with ONTRACK. These negotiations did not progress and eventually went to arbitration at
7055-497: 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
7140-462: Was sold for $ 328.3 million to a consortium named Pylorus Investments Limited. In 1995 the new owners adopted the name Tranz Rail and listed the company on the New Zealand stock market and NASDAQ . Rail freight volumes increased between 1993 and 2000 from 8.5m net tonnes to 14.99m net tonnes carried annually, and then gradually fell until 2003 to 13.7m tonnes. Freight volumes then increased again to 16.1m tonnes carried annually in 2012. Tranz Rail
7225-729: Was suspended in 2020 and again in 2021 because of 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
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