Save Our Trains NZ

06/10/2026

From harbour to hills, this memorable rail journey showcases the changing landscapes of the Bay of Plenty.

03/10/2026

Green Party announces costed plan for passenger rail between major NZ cities:
- extend Te Huia train to Tauranga
- passenger rail between Dunedin & Christchurch
- Night train from Auckland to Wellington
ELECTION TRANSPORT NEWS…

The Green Party says it will connect the country with intercity passenger rail services, if elected.

29/09/2026

Get that train up to Taranaki going again!
Trains Taranaki calls on Govt to sort out what’s needed for the New Plymouth- Wellington passenger train.

The proposed route would connect New Plymouth, Whanganui, Palmerston North and Wellington.

23/09/2026

Is the Govt, egged on by the so-called Taxpayers’ Union - looking at the possibility of ripping up large chunks of our rail network?
Thought-provoking blog from Linked In by one of NZ’s most experienced rail consultants, Michael Van Droegenbroek.
https://lnkd.in/p/e9SBpWek

22/09/2026

Southern train trip canned after tragedy in Waikato….
Green MP Celia Wade-Brown, a former Mayor of Wellington, met with local Save Our Trains Southern representatives at Dunedin railway station before planning to hop on the monthly Mainlander train to Christchurch.

But the chance to head north by train was denied for passengers on Monday, after a death at a railway station in the North Island.

The Mainlander service was scheduled to travel between Dunedin and Christchurch on Monday but never ran, its operator cancelling it on Sunday night.

A person died at the Te Awamutu railway station in Waikato about 6.20pm on Sunday after they were hit by a train from Glenbrook Vintage Railway, which runs steam-hauled day trips around Waikato and Auckland.

A Steam Incorporated Ltd spokesman said the decision to cancel the train was made to give its crew time and space to process what had happened and support one another.

Steam Incorporated Ltd operates the train in Waikato and also the Mainlander.

“The heritage sector is a small and tight-knit community where everyone knows each other and [the] tragic incident will be felt widely across the sector. The wellbeing of our people is a priority for us,” the spokesman said.

The cancellation applied only to Monday’s Mainland Rail service. Steam Incorporated had not recommended other heritage operators cease services. The Dunedin Railway Station service went, as normal, to the Taieri Gorge on Monday.

“Safety trumps all, so I can understand why they did it. And we have had good service and they have looked after us well. But I would have preferred to be on a train,” Ms Wade-Brown said.

She was born and grew up in Paddington in London, so the train trip on Monday would have been a case of going from “Paddington to Addington” for her.

An email had been sent late on Sunday night advising her of the cancellation. She wanted to experience the train trip and had met Save our Trains southern representative Dave MacPherson, she said.

Up to six buses replaced the train.

Police are investigating and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is gathering information about the fatality to determine if a separate investigation will be undertaken as it is the rail safety regulator.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission said on Monday it was investigating the incident.

19/09/2026

Good blog on Auckland and North Island rail - It’s very necessary to build on all the recent rail successes.
The South Island, where the potential of a mix of public transport, tourist and freight rail is huge, will have a blog soon!

Now the City Rail Link is open what is next big step forward for rail in the Auckland region? A number of commentators have suggested we should have a pipeline of rail projects to build on this success. We do. We have a number of rail proposals that would improve the movement of people and freight i...

18/09/2026

Trains v buses…
This comment was posted on our page today & we thought we’d share it with you - a long term coach driver saying he’d prefer to ride on a train!
We think buses/coaches have their place; they can connect train passengers to places where trains will never go, BUT for longer distance routes where rail tracks exist (and that’s a LOT of this country) it’s hard to beat the comfort, price and accessibility of trains!

14/09/2026

Terrific RNZ interview today on what we need next for passenger rail in NZ, with The Future Is Rail founder Patrick Reynolds. Well worth a listen!
“What could be next for rail in New Zealand?”

With Auckland's City Rail Link now open, many people are contemplating the potential of train travel across the country. John Campbell spoke to Patrick Rooney, one of the founders of train advocacy group The Future is Rail, about where rail infrastructure is most needed.

14/09/2026

Billions for Auckland's CRL but 'not a brass razoo' for South Island rail….
Save Our Trains Southern calls for investment in both commuter rail and inter-regional rail in the South Island.

Attention should be turned to bringing passenger rail to the South Island after the success of Auckland's City Rail Link (CRL), a train advocate says.

14/09/2026

CRL A GOOD START - WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY?
The overnight success of the new CRL commuter train service in Auckland has sparked calls for the incoming Govt to seriously plan ahead for future passenger rail services in the South Island.

Save Our Trains Southern pointed out that the South Island was especially lacking in any Government support for major South Island transport infrastructure and services.

There’s $5.5Billion invested in Auckland’s CRL, $56Billion earmarked for mainly North Island roads of national significance, $1.1B invested in new trains for the lower North Island’s Palmerston North and Wairarapa to Wellington train services, and an existing Wellington Region commuter rail service……but not a brass razoo planned to support passenger rail or other major new Public Transport initiatives in the South Island.”

We’d like to point out to all political parties that the South Island population is now growing faster than the North Island’s, and although there are more electorate seats in the North Island, gone are the days when its OK for Governments to forget about the anything south of Cook Strait.”

Despite the worthwhile passenger rail developments in the North Island, Save Our Trains Southern points out that not one single dollar is invested by the Government in South Island passenger rail; a major oversight that will come back to bite politicians who don’t listen to this message.

Save Our Trains Southern is currently surveying political parties and candidates from the Canterbury, Otago and Southland regions as to their views on passenger rail in the south, including on commuter rail systems in the Christchurch area.

We have received a clear message from members of the public down here that planning for commuter rail services from the fast-growing Amberley to Ashburton axis are already overdue, and we want to see if prospective politicians are also listening.