Kaimai Express (train)
Encyclopedia
The Kaimai Express was a long-distance passenger train operated by the Tranz Scenic
division of Tranz Rail
(previously the New Zealand Rail Limited division InterCity Rail) that ran between the North Island
cities of Auckland
and Tauranga
via Hamilton
. It utilised the Silver Fern
railcar
s and operated from 9 December 1991 until 7 October 2001.
, its furthest extent, a passenger train commenced operating from Auckland
to Taneatua on a slow 12 hour schedule. Within a year, this was upgraded to 10.5 hours and named the Taneatua Express
. For much of its life, it ran only twice or thrice weekly.
In 1959, the Taneatua Express was replaced by a daily railcar service utilising 88 seater
railcars, but due to negligible traffic to Taneatua, the new service operated only to Te Puke
. This service did not last long, as the circuitous rail route struggled to compete with private cars. It was cancelled from 11 September 1967, and until 1991 the only passenger services that operated on the route were special excursions.
In 1980, Tauranga
radio station Radio BoP started running an excursion train from Tauranga to Matamata
and Rotorua
via the newly opened Kaimai Tunnel
under the name "Kaimai Express", using NZR locomotives and carriages from Steam Inc and Railway Enthusiasts Society. The excursions were repeated in 1981 and 1982.
that operated the daily between Wellington
and Auckland were replaced by the locomotive-hauled Overlander, and new routes from Auckland
were found for the Silver Ferns, the Geyserland Express to Rotorua
and the Kaimai Express to Tauranga. The latter train's name came from the Kaimai Tunnel
through the Kaimai Ranges
; this tunnel was opened on 12 September 1978 and provided a much faster and more direct route to the Bay of Plenty
. This meant services operated substantially faster than the previous Taneatua Express and 88-seater railcars.
The first Kaimai Express ran on 9 December 1991 and consisted of a morning service from Tauranga to Auckland and afternoon service from Auckland to Tauranga. The train took roughly 3.5 hours in each direction.
In 2000 timings were changed to enable the introduction of the Waikato Connection commuter service between Hamilton and Auckland. The southbound service departed Auckland at 8:20am and reached Tauranga 3 hours 31 minutes later at 11:51am. The northbound service left Tauranga at 1:05pm and reached Auckland at 4:34pm, 3 hours 29 minutes later.
Consideration was made at one point by Tranz Rail to extend the Kaimai Express service to Mount Maunganui
, but this did not eventuate.
The Kaimai Express did not make a profit, and in 2001 it was announced that the service was too uneconomic for Tranz Rail to continue. No subsidies came forth from the government to sustain its operation, and no private companies wished to invest in it. It operated for the final time on 7 October 2001.
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...
division of Tranz Rail
Tranz Rail
Tranz Rail, formally Tranz Rail Holdings Ltd , was the main rail operator in New Zealand from 1991 until it was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2003.- Formation :...
(previously the New Zealand Rail Limited division InterCity Rail) that ran between the 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...
cities of 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...
and Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
via 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...
. It utilised the 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...
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 and operated from 9 December 1991 until 7 October 2001.
Background
In 1928, when the East Coast Main Trunk Railway was opened as far as TaneatuaTaneatua
Taneatua is a small town in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is officially defined as a "populated area less than a town". The 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings found its population to be 750, a 14.7% decline since the previous census in 1996...
, its furthest extent, a passenger train commenced operating from 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...
to Taneatua on a slow 12 hour schedule. Within a year, this was upgraded to 10.5 hours and named the Taneatua Express
Taneatua Express
The Taneatua Express was an express passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department that ran between Auckland and Taneatua in the Bay of Plenty, serving centres such as Tauranga and Te Puke...
. For much of its life, it ran only twice or thrice weekly.
In 1959, the Taneatua Express was replaced by a daily railcar service utilising 88 seater
NZR RM class (88 seater)
The NZR RM class 88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand, known unofficially as 'articulateds', 'twinsets', 'Drewrys' and 'Fiats'. They were purchased to replace steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains...
railcars, but due to negligible traffic to Taneatua, the new service operated only to Te Puke
Te Puke
Te Puke is a town located 28 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. It is particularly famous for the cultivation of kiwifruit...
. This service did not last long, as the circuitous rail route struggled to compete with private cars. It was cancelled from 11 September 1967, and until 1991 the only passenger services that operated on the route were special excursions.
In 1980, Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
radio station Radio BoP started running an excursion train from Tauranga to Matamata
Matamata
Matamata is a rural Waikato town in New Zealand with a population of around 12,000 . It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits...
and Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
via the newly opened Kaimai Tunnel
Kaimai Tunnel
The Kaimai Tunnel is a railway tunnel through the Kaimai Range in the North Island of New Zealand. Since it was opened in 1978, it has held the title of longest tunnel in New Zealand, assuming this distinction from the previous title holder, the Rimutaka Tunnel...
under the name "Kaimai Express", using NZR locomotives and carriages from Steam Inc and Railway Enthusiasts Society. The excursions were repeated in 1981 and 1982.
Operation
In 1991, the Silver FernsNZR 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...
that operated the daily 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 Auckland were replaced by the locomotive-hauled Overlander, and new routes from 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...
were found for the Silver Ferns, the Geyserland Express to Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
and the Kaimai Express to Tauranga. The latter train's name came from the Kaimai Tunnel
Kaimai Tunnel
The Kaimai Tunnel is a railway tunnel through the Kaimai Range in the North Island of New Zealand. Since it was opened in 1978, it has held the title of longest tunnel in New Zealand, assuming this distinction from the previous title holder, the Rimutaka Tunnel...
through the Kaimai Ranges
Kaimai Ranges
The Kaimai Range is a mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of a series of ranges, with the Coromandel Range to the north and the Mamaku Ranges to the south. The Kaimai Range separates the Waikato in the west from the Bay of Plenty in the east.The highest point of the range...
; this tunnel was opened on 12 September 1978 and provided a much faster and more direct route to the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
. This meant services operated substantially faster than the previous Taneatua Express and 88-seater railcars.
The first Kaimai Express ran on 9 December 1991 and consisted of a morning service from Tauranga to Auckland and afternoon service from Auckland to Tauranga. The train took roughly 3.5 hours in each direction.
In 2000 timings were changed to enable the introduction of the Waikato Connection commuter service between Hamilton and Auckland. The southbound service departed Auckland at 8:20am and reached Tauranga 3 hours 31 minutes later at 11:51am. The northbound service left Tauranga at 1:05pm and reached Auckland at 4:34pm, 3 hours 29 minutes later.
Consideration was made at one point by Tranz Rail to extend the Kaimai Express service to Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui is a town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, located on a peninsula to the north of Tauranga. It was independent from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge in 1988....
, but this did not eventuate.
The Kaimai Express did not make a profit, and in 2001 it was announced that the service was too uneconomic for Tranz Rail to continue. No subsidies came forth from the government to sustain its operation, and no private companies wished to invest in it. It operated for the final time on 7 October 2001.