Rail travellers a dying breed

David Benton wrote:Thats probably the maximum fare . converts to around 154 pounds.
I think what he trying to show is people will pay more for good rail service .
Interesting comparison in some ways , as if the overlander gets new carriages , theyre likely to be rebuilt BR MKll carriages .
In the meantime , i presume the reduced service means they can use 2 trainsets instead of 3 , and the 3rd set is undergoing a spruce up . Its bogies will also be used for the first set of new commuter carriages , while new ones are sourced for those carriages . The bogies will then be returned to the third overlander train set . talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul , there was even talk of changing bogies form the commuter train to the overlander on friday night , then back to the commuter train sunday night in time for monday mornings commuter run !

If booking a month ahead there is a fare of £22.50 single from Trainline. http://www.thetrainline.com
The Edinburgh services use much more advanced carriages than Mark 2 which are basically 1950s design. The GNER route has Mark 4 - the last British Rail type designed for faster than 125 mph. The Virgin route uses Voyagers, high speed diesel (because they belong to Cross Country that uses some non-electrified routes).

well , the carriages they would be replacing are form the 1930's !
so yes , really there is no comparsion .

David Benton wrote:well , the carriages they would be replacing are form the 1930's !
so yes , really there is no comparsion .

In fact the whole Mark 2 fleet has been replaced, except for a few excursion trains. Some can also be found on preserved steam lines where they are the most common type, with separate compartments and a corridor. The last big fleet was on the Southern lines and they were replaced with more modern stock in the last five years. A pity, as the old bench seats were good for having a full length snooze late at night when coming home from London.

just watched a repeat of the tv programme , "Billy Coneilleys world tour of New Zealand "( BBC ? ) He takes the overlander from Waiouru to Taumarununi . Aglimpse of the hapuwhenua viaduct , and the raurimu Spiral which he calls the Corkscrew . Throws in a couple of humorous railway stories been Billy .

the overlander is back to daily service , with refurbished carriages . well a new paint job basically, carpet and seat covers .
but the biggest change is ni public support for it , and the operators attitude to running it .
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0612/S00073.htm

David Benton wrote:the overlander is back to daily service , with refurbished carriages . well a new paint job basically, carpet and seat covers .
but the biggest change is ni public support for it , and the operators attitude to running it .
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0612/S00073.htm

Have you got any pictures of the new paintjob?

not that i can find George . theres sure to be some in the media after tuesdays public showing at Wellington , will post link then .

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story ... d=10511305

I would think giving any company a 50 year monopoly would be a bad idea . Although a luxury train would be a good idea on this route , precluding ordinary trains from using it for 50 years would be a bad idea .

Give 'em a 20-year contract, and only for the complete route, i.e. the full Auckland - Wellington connection.
And include a number of clauses under which the government can cancel the deal early.

kato wrote:Give 'em a 20-year contract, and only for the complete route, i.e. the full Auckland - Wellington connection.
And include a number of clauses under which the government can cancel the deal early.

In Britain the Regulator can cancel a franchise and award it to another company for Cause. It has done so several times, especially with Connex (now called Veolia, I think) twice.

i would lioke to see them gicen a franchise for luxury train travel only , leaving open the possiblity of an everyday service to be operated by the govt or other agency .

It would appear that Long Distance trains both in NZ and the USA are just like the Eveready Bunny; "they just keep going and going'.

Whether they provide meaningful transport to the regions they serve is of no apparent concern.

I think think the overlander in particular does provide a vital service to the north island . Not as much as it used to , but as the company found out when they tried to discontinue it , it is still used and viewed as essential by many people .
I use it myself 2 or 3 times a year , i used to use it more , but now i often travel in the truck to cart goods , and i also now have a dog . the points i travel between have both air and bus services , but of course i take the train if possible , i relaiaze your average traveller may not make this choice .
But for much of the route , the train still provides the best service .

Once-endangered Overlander thrives
4:00AM Saturday Jun 13, 2009
By Mathew Dearnaley
Three years after being rescued from extinction, the Overlander passenger trains are to have their services between Auckland and Wellington boosted.

KiwiRail has announced daily services for most of the July school holidays, instead of just three days a week, and an extension of its peak season to more than seven months of each year.

That follows a 25.5 per cent increase in patronage over the past year - a far cry from 2006 when former rail operator Toll threatened to axe the trains after failing to obtain government subsidies to make up for sluggish demand.

The company relented after a rescue campaign by councils along the route, headed by Auckland regional chairman Mike Lee, who offered his organisation's assistance in promoting what international travel writers have acknowledged as one of the world's classic scenic rail journeys.

But it trimmed the operation to just three services a week in each direction for much of the year, while offering to run a daily service from December to May - but only if patronage picked up.

The Overlander trains have since been renationalised as part of the Labour Government's purchase of KiwiRail, which has reported a steady increase in passenger numbers.

That prompted a decision by KiwiRail subsidiary Tranz Scenic to run the trains every day from July 6 to July 19 for the winter school holidays and then from September 25 until May next year.

"This represents a great success for a train service which, only a few years ago, was in jeopardy," said KiwiRail passenger general manager Ross Hayward.

"We have been seeing steadily increasing passenger numbers, building over the last 18 months."

Tranz Scenic spokesman Nigel Parry said yesterday although the trains had a normal capacity of 160 seats, extra carriages were sometimes added to cater for growing demand.

That had helped boost passenger numbers by 25.5 per cent for the 11 months to May, compared with the same period of the previous year.

Mr Parry said the achievement was particularly pleasing in tough times.

Ruapehu District Council member and National Park resident Murray Wilson welcomed the service increase as a vote of confidence in the longevity of the trains, but looked forward to the restoration of year-round trips.

"We are pleased and we do understand them reducing services during the winter, but for the long term, they need to operate seven days a week and be promoted to the world," he said.

Mr Lee, who led a delegation of council leaders on an Overlander trip to Wellington to persuade Toll to spare the trains, said the latest announcement was "marvellous".

"It just proves that if you provide the facility and you promote it, people will use rail," he said.

"We pledged to back it, in terms of helping to get bums on seats, and to [Toll chief executive] David Jackson's great credit, they changed their mind and kept it on, but they were within a couple of weeks of knocking the thing right off."

The price of petrol is going up again.

Demand for rail is still increasing in Britain, despite the depression. New franchises are requiring longer trains.