TranzAlpine
Encyclopedia
The TranzAlpine Express is a passenger
train
operated by Tranz Scenic
in the South Island
of New Zealand
. This trip is often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes (see famous trains). The journey is 223 kilometres (138.6 mi) one-way, taking about four and a half hours. There are 19 tunnels and four viaducts, with the Staircase Viaduct being 73 metres (239.5 ft) high.
The train has become increasingly popular, and carried 204,000 passengers in the financial year ending 2007.
's 'new' tourist oriented passenger services utilising refurbished rolling stock. Accompanying this new-look train were a new-look livery and rebranding.
s, 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 the former articulated diesel-hauled Grass Grub 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 Grass Grubs on the Picton and Greymouth routes and one wagon had served the old yellow Northerner
Express
as a parcels van, prior to the introduction of the twelve 56' cars. These cars and wagons, like their Grass Grub 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.
fleet. The change in service was marked, with a refurbished modular Mitsubishi
-built FM
-class van turned power-luggage van with handbrake end-mounted 11kW 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 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 cars and to insert a steel ladder frame to which sheets of strengthened glass were glued. The effect, of 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 cars were red Picton - Greymouth cars 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 was hoped that the move would draw people to the previously poorly-performing Greymouth passenger trains.
Soon, two more Picton - Greymouth cars were refitted for the TranzAlpine similar to the servery and observation car, so the two small-window cars could be slotted into the Southerner consists. These new "big window" cars each sat 51, same seating arrangement and type as the servery car. In the early 1990s, the first generation TranzAlpine panorama cars had a new pressure ventilation system installed, similar to the Bay
Express
and the rear view/observation car 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.
Realising this increased public attention, and with the success of air-conditioned panorama carriage trains on the North Island Main Trunk, between August 1994 and April 1995, eight cars (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, Coastal Pacific Express later TranzCoastal, pressure-ventilated Bay Express and air conditioned Northerner/Overlander Express trains and seating 50 (day cars) and 26 (servery cars), alcove-style, in new seats like those installed in refitted Wairarapa Connection and North Island Main Trunk carriages. A Mitsubishi built modular van 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 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 the eight air conditioned cars were introduced in 1994-1995, the train still borrowed panorama cars from the Southerner because of the train's increasing popularity.
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 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 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 cars that were not painted all over in the new blue colour scheme. However, during the 1995 rebranding, the TranzAlpine cars were the first long-distance passenger cars to receive the new paint scheme and did not wear the transitional light blue stripe.
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 a private tourist firm. The original carriage offered enhanced services, including complementary 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.
. It is expected they will enter service before the end of 2011.
and Greymouth
. After leaving Christchurch, 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 the Otira Tunnel
and terminates in Greymouth, on the West Coast
.
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
operated by Tranz Scenic
Tranz Scenic
Tranz Scenic is the long-distance passenger train brand of KiwiRail, formed from the New Zealand Railways Corporation InterCity Rail services. Tranz Scenic was renamed along with the other operating divisions of Tranz Rail in 1995...
in the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. This trip is often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes (see famous trains). The journey is 223 kilometres (138.6 mi) one-way, taking about four and a half hours. There are 19 tunnels and four viaducts, with the Staircase Viaduct being 73 metres (239.5 ft) high.
The train has become increasingly popular, and carried 204,000 passengers in the financial year ending 2007.
History
The train was introduced 22 November 1987, to replace the conventional Christchurch-Greymouth express trains, and became one of the New Zealand Railways CorporationNew Zealand Railways Corporation
KiwiRail Network, formerly ONTRACK , is the infrastructure arm of KiwiRail. The ONTRACK trading name was introduced in 2004 after the government repurchased all of New Zealand's rail infrastructure from Toll NZ. It does not operate revenue rolling stock...
's 'new' tourist oriented passenger services utilising refurbished rolling stock. Accompanying this new-look train were a new-look livery and rebranding.
Previous services
From late 1982 until 1983 12 second class NZR 56-foot carriageNZR 56-foot carriage
The NZR 56-foot carriage is a class of 17.07m-long railway passenger car formerly used on almost all long-distance rail transport in New Zealand, and still in service. Some have been preserved.-1927: Prototypes:...
s, 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
Addington Workshops
The Addington Railway Workshops was a major railway facility established in the Christchurch suburb of Addington in May 1880 by the New Zealand Railways Department. The workshops were previously in Carlyle Street and closed in 1990.-Description:...
were introduced to replace the former articulated diesel-hauled Grass Grub 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 Grass Grubs on the Picton and Greymouth routes and one wagon had served the old yellow Northerner
Northerner (train)
The Northerner was an overnight passenger train between Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand. Originally numbered 227 southbound and 626 northbound, it replaced the unnamed and less revered ordinary express trains supplementing the luxurious Silver Star , which had replaced the Night Limited in...
Express
Northerner (train)
The Northerner was an overnight passenger train between Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand. Originally numbered 227 southbound and 626 northbound, it replaced the unnamed and less revered ordinary express trains supplementing the luxurious Silver Star , which had replaced the Night Limited in...
as a parcels van, prior to the introduction of the twelve 56' cars. These cars and wagons, like their Grass Grub 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.
Launch of current train
With the deterioration of the yellow Northerner stock, cars to replace these had to be found by sourcing from the rest of the NZR 56-foot carriageNZR 56-foot carriage
The NZR 56-foot carriage is a class of 17.07m-long railway passenger car formerly used on almost all long-distance rail transport in New Zealand, and still in service. Some have been preserved.-1927: Prototypes:...
fleet. The change in service was marked, with a refurbished modular Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
-built FM
NZR FM guards van
The NZR FM guards van is a rail vehicle in New Zealand originally used on freight trains but now used primarily on passenger trains, reclassified AG.-First batch, 1977:...
-class van turned power-luggage van with handbrake end-mounted 11kW petrol generator, and three carriages, one from the Endeavour
Endeavour (train)
The Endeavour was a long-distance passenger train service between Wellington and Napier in the North Island of New Zealand...
Express
Endeavour (train)
The Endeavour was a long-distance passenger train service between Wellington and Napier in the North Island of New Zealand...
and later Southerner Express converted into a servery car seating 31 in reupholstered Addington Workshops
Addington Workshops
The Addington Railway Workshops was a major railway facility established in the Christchurch suburb of Addington in May 1880 by the New Zealand Railways Department. The workshops were previously in Carlyle Street and closed in 1990.-Description:...
-produced seats, in bays of four with two pairs of seats each facing into a table, arranged alcove-style, with windows over double 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
Springfield, New Zealand
Springfield is a small town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, in the South Island, of New Zealand. In 2001 it had a population of 219. At the foot of the Southern Alps, west of Christchurch, it is the most westerly town of the central Canterbury Plains...
and Otira
Otira
Otira is a small township seven kilometres north of Arthur's Pass in the central South Island of New Zealand. It is on the western approach to the pass, a saddle between the Otira and Bealey Rivers high in the Southern Alps...
. 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 cars and to insert a steel ladder frame to which sheets of strengthened glass were glued. The effect, of 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 cars were red Picton - Greymouth cars 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 was hoped that the move would draw people to the previously poorly-performing Greymouth passenger trains.
Soon, two more Picton - Greymouth cars were refitted for the TranzAlpine similar to the servery and observation car, so the two small-window cars could be slotted into the Southerner consists. These new "big window" cars each sat 51, same seating arrangement and type as the servery car. In the early 1990s, the first generation TranzAlpine panorama cars had a new pressure ventilation system installed, similar to the Bay
Bay Express (train)
The Bay Express was a passenger train between Wellington and Napier in New Zealand's North Island, operating from Monday, 11 December 1989 until Sunday, 7 October 2001. It was operated by New Zealand Railways, later Tranz Scenic.- Introduction:...
Express
Bay Express (train)
The Bay Express was a passenger train between Wellington and Napier in New Zealand's North Island, operating from Monday, 11 December 1989 until Sunday, 7 October 2001. It was operated by New Zealand Railways, later Tranz Scenic.- Introduction:...
and the rear view/observation car introduced to this train in 1991.
In 1988, the train won a Tourism New Zealand
Tourism New Zealand
Tourism New Zealand is the national institution tasked with promoting New Zealand as a tourism destination internationally. It is the trading name of the New Zealand Tourism Board, a Crown entity established under the New Zealand Tourism Board Act 1991...
Award and was voted as one of the top 10 "short" train journeys in the world.
Increasing popularity
The TranzAlpine 's popularity increased, and on days the Southerner was not operating it was common to see these cars bolstering the three hard-pressed TranzAlpine cars. 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 the North Island Main Trunk, between August 1994 and April 1995, eight cars (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, Coastal Pacific Express later TranzCoastal, pressure-ventilated Bay Express and air conditioned Northerner/Overlander Express trains and seating 50 (day cars) and 26 (servery cars), alcove-style, in new seats like those installed in refitted Wairarapa Connection and North Island Main Trunk carriages. A Mitsubishi built modular van 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
NZR FM guards van
The NZR FM guards van is a rail vehicle in New Zealand originally used on freight trains but now used primarily on passenger trains, reclassified AG.-First batch, 1977:...
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 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
NZR FM guards van
The NZR FM guards van is a rail vehicle in New Zealand originally used on freight trains but now used primarily on passenger trains, reclassified AG.-First batch, 1977:...
, 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 the eight air conditioned cars were introduced in 1994-1995, the train still borrowed panorama cars from the Southerner because of the train's increasing popularity.
Livery
As part of the rebranding of the New Zealand Railways CorporationNew Zealand Railways Corporation
KiwiRail Network, formerly ONTRACK , is the infrastructure arm of KiwiRail. The ONTRACK trading name was introduced in 2004 after the government repurchased all of New Zealand's rail infrastructure from Toll NZ. It does not operate revenue rolling stock...
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 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 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 cars that were not painted all over in the new blue colour scheme. However, during the 1995 rebranding, the TranzAlpine cars were the first long-distance passenger cars to receive the new paint scheme and did not wear the transitional light blue stripe.
Connoisseur service
In early 1991, a former Endeavour car was completely rebuilt as a panorama and rear-view car to replace the (first) ConnoisseurThe Connoisseur car
The Connoisseur cars were special railway carriages that were used in the consist of a number of passenger trains in New Zealand.- Inception :...
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 a private tourist firm. The original carriage offered enhanced services, including complementary meals, refreshments and newspapers. However, this second carriage, also named a Connoisseurs'
The Connoisseur car
The Connoisseur cars were special railway carriages that were used in the consist of a number of passenger trains in New Zealand.- Inception :...
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.
New rolling stock
At KiwiRail's Hillside Railway Workshops, building has commenced on new carriages for the TranzAlpine and TranzCoastal services, classed AKNZR class AK carriage
The NZR AK class of 17 carriages is currently being built in Dunedin's Hillside Workshops for KiwiRail's long distance passenger operator, Tranz Scenic. The three buffet cars will be classified AKC...
. It is expected they will enter service before the end of 2011.
Route
The train runs daily between ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and Greymouth
Greymouth
Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coast's inhabitants...
. After leaving Christchurch, the train travels through the fertile Canterbury Plains
Canterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains are an area in New Zealand centred to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury Region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in the south they merge into the plains of North Otago beyond the Waitaki...
past the Waimakariri River
Waimakariri River
The Waimakariri River is the largest of the North Canterbury rivers, in the South Island of New Zealand. It flows for 151 kilometres in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean....
along the Main South Line
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railroad line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin...
, to Rolleston
Rolleston, New Zealand
Rolleston is a town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, New Zealand.It is located next to State Highway 1, 22 km south-west of Christchurch on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. The town uses the slogan "The Town of the Future"...
. It then turns onto the Midland Line
Midland Line, New Zealand
The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel.-Freight services:...
, which passes through the Southern Alps
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...
past the spectacular Waimakariri River
Waimakariri River
The Waimakariri River is the largest of the North Canterbury rivers, in the South Island of New Zealand. It flows for 151 kilometres in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean....
gorge, via the Otira Tunnel
Otira Tunnel
The Otira Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand between Otira and Arthur's Pass. It runs under the Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Otira - a length of over . The gradient is mainly 1 in 33, and the Otira end of the tunnel is over lower than the...
and terminates in Greymouth, on the West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
.