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Is Dunedin next to get a train revival?
At least 235 people took advantage of the novelty of catching a train in Dunedin this morning.
The train from Waitati and Port Chalmers to Dunedin this morning was a promotional one-day revival of rail commuting organised by the Dunedin City Council, Taieri Gorge Railway and rail transport advocate group Getthe Train.
Several children used the train to travel to Purakanui School, Port Chalmers School and Dunedin Rudolf Steiner School (at Maia), while the train was also popular with pupils of several Dunedin high schools.
Not all went well.
In a scenario very familiar to those of us up north, those arriving late to school were able to use the the train as an excuse, because the outward empty trip from Dunedin was delayed by Wellington train control, according to train staff.
There will be a return trip from Dunedin to the coastal towns this evening, departing at 5.30pm.
2 Comments
Something like this is put on by the Taeiri Gorge Railway at least once a year. Dunedin lost it’s commuter tain services quite a few years ago.
I was down in Otago a few weeks ago and have loaded a few new videos to Youtube. A couple were taken at Waitati
Would be interesting to know what passenger numbers are required for such a Dunedin service to break-even. Though Dunedin has large parts of the city out of walking distance of the rail line, which could make a viable service hard. How many stations are still usable?
And sad that yet again, inept and lazy Kiwirail staff in the signals section let down a rail promotion event. Most Auckland rail fans know the initial breakdowns are compounded massively by Wellington train ‘control’. Heads should roll.