Category: Regional Transport
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What Happened To Christchurch’s Commuter Trains (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this article we took a look at how the local government system in Canterbury and elsewhere has evolved to the present day, and how the management of public transport in the Greater Christchurch area, which was under regional control from the 1890s until 1989, appears to have been briefly held by…
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Taieri Gorge Railway vs Otago Central Rail Trail Saga [3]
So then, we come to the question of the future of the Taieri Gorge Railway in its current form, the subject of this third article in TSBNZ’s current series of articles about the controversy that is currently being highlighted over the future of the present railway corridor. There are three possible options for the future…
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Taieri Gorge Railway vs Otago Central Rail Trail Saga [2]
Welcome to Part [2] of this series about the TGR-OCRT saga currently playing out in Dunedin and national local governance and rail heritage circles. Part 1 was an introduction to the saga that looked at how the Taieri Gorge Railway was established, its recent history, and a comparison with its nearest pure-rail-heritage equivalent, the Weka…
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Taieri Gorge Railway vs Otago Central Rail Trail Saga [1]
This is Part [1] of a planned series of three articles on the current TGR-OCRT saga, whereby the future of the Taieri Gorge Railway is suggested to be as a conversion into an extension of the Otago Central Rail Trail. This is shaping up to be quite a controversy in 2023 and has involved much…
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What Happened To Christchurch’s Commuter Trains (Part 1)
On 30 April 1976, the last remaining commuter train service in North Canterbury, the Christchurch to Rangiora workers’ train service, closed down. Since that time there have been no commuter train services operated in the Christchurch area. The commuter trains in Canterbury, which at one point included New Zealand’s first electric train passenger network, were…
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Gisborne Line Saga Dates Back 40 Years
The debate over the viability and future of the Gisborne Line is not new and dates back 40 years. Having that knowledge will aid considerably in understanding the relevance and context of ongoing discussion over the railway between Napier and Gisborne. The Napier Gisborne Line (part of the Palmerston North Gisborne Line) opened in 1942.…
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Government Announces New Trains For Lower North Island
An article in Stuff’s Wellington newspaper, The Post, announced today that the government’s 2023 budget will including funding for 18 hybrid trains for the Kapiti and Wairarapa line services in the lower North Island. These trains run on the Wairarapa Line from Wellington to Masterton (excluding the Wellington commuter network) (The Wairarapa Connection services) and…