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Carriages used for the former diesel train passenger service between Pukekohe and Papakura have found a new home in the South Island.
New Zealand-owned Mainland Rail recently announced plans to launch a new Event Express Train service in time for the opening of One New Zealand Stadium (Te Kaha) in Christchurch next April.
Mainland Rail said the service will transport thousands of people by rail directly to the central city from Rolleston, Rangiora and potentially also from Ashburton on major event days. It aims to help reduce congestion, support central city businesses, and to try a longer-term vision for a more regular commuter rail service.
The express trips will take approximately 25 minutes from Rangiora and 20 minutes from Rolleston.
Mainland Rail director Paul Jackson said the proposal is a high-impact, low-cost opportunity for Christchurch, with plans now well advanced and gaining momentum and support.
“Mainland Rail has purchased a fleet of ten Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) from Auckland Transport. Each DMU set has two carriages and has the capacity to carry 223 passengers. Eight of the DMUs will be put into operation for major events, with two sets used as spare parts.”
The DMUs had been in storage at Glenbrook Vintage Railway near Waiuku since they were retired by Auckland Transport.
The length of the carriages for the relocation was over 420 metres, Jackson told the Franklin Times.
“In addition to the DMUs, Mainland Rail has also purchased seven S-Carriages from KiwiRail which were recently used for regional commuter rail in Wellington (Palmerston North to Wellington) and could be ideal for the longer distance route into town from somewhere like Ashburton,” Jackson said.
The DMUs and S-Cars are both suited for the South Island’s non-electrified rail network.
The trains arrived in Picton from Auckland in mid-August, ahead of the decommissioning of the Cook Strait rail ferry, the Aratere.
