Rail travel in New Zealand
Photo: Katja Schulz, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
New Zealand by rail can be a great way to see both the North and South Islands. New Zealand's passenger rail lines include both the government-owned KiwiRail, as well as heritage and steam lines throughout the country. Commuter train services operate in the Auckland and Greater Wellington region.
UnderstandAlthough rail travel had historically played a much more prominent role in New Zealand's transportation system, with the advent of private car ownership and commercial air travel in the decades following World War II,…
Pros & consThe advantages of train travel in New Zealand are many:
Passenger servicesOn both the North and South islands, long distance passenger rail service is provided by state-owned KiwiRail under the brand Great Journeys New Zealand. New Zealand has three main passenger lines.
Boarding the trainNew Zealand trains are about the same size as British mainline trains, despite operating on a narrower gauge (1067 mm compared to 1435 mm in most of North America and Europe).
On boardThe Northern Explorer, Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine all use the AK class carriages, introduced in 2010-12 to replace the old 1940s "56-foot" carriages.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Rail travel in New Zealand" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Katja Schulz, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons