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The Waikato Connection was a short-lived express passenger 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...

 between Hamilton

Hamilton, New Zealand

Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

 and Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

 in 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...

's North Island

North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...

. It consisted of a single weekday return service using diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...

 railcar

Railcar

A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...

s.

Like its southern counterpart, the Capital Connection between Palmerston North

Palmerston North

Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...

 and Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

, the service was 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...

 and run as a commercial venture.

Operation

The service commenced as a six-month trial on 26 June 2000 and was primarily aimed at business people who regularly commuted to work in Auckland. It used Silver Fern

NZR RM class (Silver Fern)

This article is about the New Zealand railcar service and the railcars themselves. For other uses, see Silver Fern .The NZR RM class Silver Fern is a class of railcar in New Zealand. The three air-conditioned and sound-proofed 723-kW 96-seater diesel-electric twin-set railcars were built by...

 railcars with full onboard catering and stopped at the intermediate stations of Huntly, Pukekohe, Papakura, Middlemore, and Newmarket.

Four months into the trial the service was reported to be "performing up to expectations" and was later extended beyond the trial period.

Demise

Tranz Rail announced in October 2000 that it intended to exit the passenger rail business to concentrate on its freight interests. The new owner of Tranz Scenic, two directors of West Coast Railway in Australia, had limited purchase funds, and so were only prepared to purchase the most profitable services, prompting Tranz Rail to terminate those services that were not purchased, including the Waikato Connection. It was officially cancelled on 7 October 2001 along with the Geyserland Express, the Kaimai Express, and the Bay Express. A replacement Tranz Metro service between Auckland and Pukekohe commenced the following day.

Efforts were made to save the service prior to its cancellation, including an investigation made by Environment Waikato into the possibility of subsidising it. The Council, which at the time had a policy of not subsiding rail services, decided against providing funding as it was deemed to be too expensive. An approach was also made to the Government for funding, especially in light of the subsidy that they had extended for the Southerner, but this was also declined. West Coast Railway reported that the Waikato Connection was "the most unprofitable service" but that they would be prepared to consider retaining it with community support which they expected would be needed for about three years.

At the time of its cancellation the Waikato Connection was being patronised by an average of 129 passengers per trip, most of which boarded at Pukehohe or Papakura, with only about 30 of those travelling the full distance between Hamilton and Auckland. Some considered the cancellation premature as the service was beginning to grow in popularity.

Potential reintroduction

After the June 2006 announcement of the Overlander's cancellation, there were proposals to re-instate the Waikato Connection, including from Dave Macpherson, Hamilton City Council's Passenger Transport Committee chairman. The Overlander's cancellation was subsequently rescinded, eliminating the possibility of using its rolling stock on a new Waikato Connection, but other proposals have remained due to increasing vehicular traffic volumes straining road capacity. These proposals include using the Silver Ferns as in the original Waikato Connection, though they were at the time under contract for suburban commuter trains between Auckland and Pukekohe

Pukekohe

Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, it is approximately 50 kilometres south of Auckland City, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Pukekohe...

. The most recent proposal from the Rail Working Group recommends the use of Silver Fern railcars operating a service between Hamilton and Auckland Railway Station

Auckland railway station

Auckland Railway Station is the former main railway station of Auckland, New Zealand, and is located on the eastern edge of the Auckland CBD near Mechanics Bay...

, possibly also with a shuttle service at the Auckland terminus to points around the Auckland CBD. This proposal addresses cost concerns raised by the affected local government organisations by making use of existing rolling stock and infrastructure where possible and avoiding use of the Britomart Transport Centre which, because of capacity constraints, is not available for peak-time arrivals and departures of such a service.

The primary difficulties facing the proposal are lack of rolling stock, lack of a commercially viable business case (requiring support from local and central government for subsidies) and train paths through the Auckland suburban area into the Britomart Transport Centre

Britomart Transport Centre

Britomart Transport Centre is the CBD public transport hub of Auckland, New Zealand, and the northern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk line. It combines a bus interchange with a railway station in a former Edwardian post office, extended with expansive post-modernist architectural elements...

.