Bay Express (train)
Encyclopedia
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
.
, which ran the same route from 1972 until 1989. The Endeavour started service with upgraded carriages and a buffet car, but in August 1981 these were diverted to the North Island Main Trunk as the "Blue Fern
" and replaced by carriages of a lesser quality without a buffet car. The introduction of the Bay Express was intended to return the standard of Hawkes Bay passenger services back to their former level.
, Japan, the other from Daewoo
, Korea) and three 1930s-built NZR 56-foot carriage
s, one a former red Picton/Greymouth car extensively rebuilt into a servery and rear view observation car with 24 seats, arranged alcove-style around tables. The seats were Addington Workshops
-built and installed in this car for the Picton/Greymouth runs, reupholstered with a slight alteration made to facilitate more comfort on the head and neck. The train included two of three remaining Endeavour cars, each seating 51 in the same seat type and format with large viewing windows like those on the TranzAlpine
. The last car of the consist featured a large observation window at the rear. A new form of pressure-ventilation was installed in all three carriages, with associated ceiling-mounted trunking to filter the air throughout each car.
car or two, a thoroughly refurbished Auckland excursion car and later a thoroughly refurbished Wairarapa Connection car, the Auckland excursion modular van with a 37.5-kW generator housed in the non handbrake end module, the first and third modular NIMT 11-kW power-luggage vans were frequently being used to bolster this service.
From January 12 until January 25, 1993, the first of three 56' air conditioned rear-view cars and the first of three 90-kW power-luggage vans exclusive to the Northerner/Overlander passenger trains were put to use on the Napier train for trialling purposes. In the meantime, one of the 51-seat cars exclusive to this train was transferred for trial use on the Southerner.
In December 1991, with the alterations made to NIMT daylight passenger services, the Bay Express lost its key attraction: the rear-view and servery car to the new Overlander daylight passenger trains. It was replaced by the only 56' car to serve a Governor-General as a Vice-Regal car later Southerner, later Auckland excursion, later Northerner buffet car. However, the rear-view and servery car returned when the three NIMT passenger trainsets were fully re-equipped.
/TranzCoastal panorama cars, the first Southerner power-luggage van with its viewing module restored as a luggage module and the third of three modular vans assigned to the Endeavour. The two panorama cars were completely refurbished, each with 50 seats to a design introduced on the Overlander, and air conditioned. At one end in each car, eight seats were arranged in bays of four, alcove-style, the rest forward-facing. The two "new" power-luggage vans featured 50-kW generators, also housed in the handbrake ends. All were painted in the new Cato blue scheme. The servery and rear-view car was merely inspected for damage and cleared to run with the newer stock, but later incorporated the horizontal full-length 350-mm Tranz Scenic band on the sides in place of the white stripe and yellow band. The dark blue livery remained til 1997.
In 1997, while the refurbished buffet car resumed temporary duties on the run as it had in 1991 and 1993, the servery and rear-view car was refurbished. All seats were reupholstered and the interior decor altered to match the other cars, and the new "Cato blue" paint scheme applied on the exterior.
Following significant changes in management within Tranz Rail, a bottom up review of the business indicated that the Bay Express was not a financially sustainable service. By 2001, roughly 45 passengers were riding the Bay Express per trip, and it was proving to be unprofitable. Subsidies from the central government or other bodies were not forthcoming, and despite protests against cessation and proposals on how to improve ridership, the cancellation of the Bay Express was announced, effective 8 October 2001.
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 between 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...
and Napier
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
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...
, operating from Monday, 11 December 1989 until Sunday, 7 October 2001. It was operated by New Zealand Railways
New 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...
, later 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...
.
Introduction
The Bay Express was preceded by the EndeavourEndeavour (train)
The Endeavour was a long-distance passenger train service between Wellington and Napier in the North Island of New Zealand...
, which ran the same route from 1972 until 1989. The Endeavour started service with upgraded carriages and a buffet car, but in August 1981 these were diverted to the North Island Main Trunk as the "Blue Fern
Blue Fern (train)
The Blue Ferns, an unofficial name, were temporary replacement locomotive-hauled carriage trains between Wellington and Auckland on the North Island Main Trunk Railway in the North Island of New Zealand, in 1981-1984 and 1989-1990.-Twist of Fate:...
" and replaced by carriages of a lesser quality without a buffet car. The introduction of the Bay Express was intended to return the standard of Hawkes Bay passenger services back to their former level.
Rolling stock
The train's consist comprised two modular guards vans converted into power-luggage vans with 11kW petrol generators at the handbrake ends (one from MitsubishiMitsubishi
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...
, Japan, the other from Daewoo
Daewoo
Daewoo or the Daewoo Group was a major South Korean chaebol . It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999...
, Korea) and three 1930s-built NZR 56-foot carriage
NZR 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, one a former red Picton/Greymouth car extensively rebuilt into a servery and rear view observation car with 24 seats, arranged alcove-style around tables. The seats were 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:...
-built and installed in this car for the Picton/Greymouth runs, reupholstered with a slight alteration made to facilitate more comfort on the head and neck. The train included two of three remaining Endeavour cars, each seating 51 in the same seat type and format with large viewing windows like those on the TranzAlpine
TranzAlpine
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 . The journey is one-way, taking about four and a half hours...
. The last car of the consist featured a large observation window at the rear. A new form of pressure-ventilation was installed in all three carriages, with associated ceiling-mounted trunking to filter the air throughout each car.
Additional rolling stock
The train attracted good patronage and, from 1993 onward, the odd NorthernerNortherner (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...
car or two, a thoroughly refurbished Auckland excursion car and later a thoroughly refurbished Wairarapa Connection car, the Auckland excursion modular van with a 37.5-kW generator housed in the non handbrake end module, the first and third modular NIMT 11-kW power-luggage vans were frequently being used to bolster this service.
From January 12 until January 25, 1993, the first of three 56' air conditioned rear-view cars and the first of three 90-kW power-luggage vans exclusive to the Northerner/Overlander passenger trains were put to use on the Napier train for trialling purposes. In the meantime, one of the 51-seat cars exclusive to this train was transferred for trial use on the Southerner.
In December 1991, with the alterations made to NIMT daylight passenger services, the Bay Express lost its key attraction: the rear-view and servery car to the new Overlander daylight passenger trains. It was replaced by the only 56' car to serve a Governor-General as a Vice-Regal car later Southerner, later Auckland excursion, later Northerner buffet car. However, the rear-view and servery car returned when the three NIMT passenger trainsets were fully re-equipped.
Accident in 1995
On Sunday, 12 November 1995 the Bay Express, consisting of the second Northerner power-luggage van, a Northerner car, a Bay Express car and its servery/rear-view car was involved in a derailment. This resulted in the recently refurbished buffet car, a Northerner car and the first NIMT 90-kW power-luggage van forming a replacement train until Christmas 1995.Re-equipped and refurbished
Apart from the servery and rear-view car, the train was fully re-equipped, with two former Picton - Greymouth later TranzAlpineTranzAlpine
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 . The journey is one-way, taking about four and a half hours...
/TranzCoastal panorama cars, the first Southerner power-luggage van with its viewing module restored as a luggage module and the third of three modular vans assigned to the Endeavour. The two panorama cars were completely refurbished, each with 50 seats to a design introduced on the Overlander, and air conditioned. At one end in each car, eight seats were arranged in bays of four, alcove-style, the rest forward-facing. The two "new" power-luggage vans featured 50-kW generators, also housed in the handbrake ends. All were painted in the new Cato blue scheme. The servery and rear-view car was merely inspected for damage and cleared to run with the newer stock, but later incorporated the horizontal full-length 350-mm Tranz Scenic band on the sides in place of the white stripe and yellow band. The dark blue livery remained til 1997.
In 1997, while the refurbished buffet car resumed temporary duties on the run as it had in 1991 and 1993, the servery and rear-view car was refurbished. All seats were reupholstered and the interior decor altered to match the other cars, and the new "Cato blue" paint scheme applied on the exterior.
Timetable
The timetable had an 8am departure from Wellington, reaching Napier at 1.30pm. The return service departed Napier at 2.30pm and arrived in Wellington at 8pm. The first service, for invited guests and dignitaries, operated on 10 December 1989 and regular services for the general public commenced the next day.Demise
Unlike the Tranz Alpine and Tranz Coastal services, the Bay Express primarily relied upon local point to point traffic and as a result was placed under increasing pressure by the continued real drop in airline ticket prices over the 1990s, and the price of owning/operating private cars. The travel time of the Bay Express was uncompetitive compared with both air and car travel (five hours thirty minutes on average by rail compared to one hour by air and four hours by car). Long distance coaches had similar travel times and typically cheaper fares for the budget conscious traveller.Following significant changes in management within Tranz Rail, a bottom up review of the business indicated that the Bay Express was not a financially sustainable service. By 2001, roughly 45 passengers were riding the Bay Express per trip, and it was proving to be unprofitable. Subsidies from the central government or other bodies were not forthcoming, and despite protests against cessation and proposals on how to improve ridership, the cancellation of the Bay Express was announced, effective 8 October 2001.