TranzCoastal
The TranzCoastal is a long-distance passenger train between Picton and Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand, operated by Tranz Scenic. It was known as the Coastal Pacific at the time of its introduction.
In April 2006, Toll Rail announced its intention [1] to sell the TranzCoastal and the TranzAlpine.
Contents
History
Before the Main North Line was completed, the open sections were served by mixed trains and the Culverden Express. On 15 December 1945, the Main North Line was completed and the Picton Express began operating, providing a direct daily service between Picton and Christchurch. In January 1946, the Picton Express was cut to three times weekly, and its popularity and profitability declined. In February 1956 the Picton Express was replaced by a more frequent railcar service, utilising RM class 88-seaters. When these railcars wore out in the 1970s, carriage trains were re-introduced to the route and they were sometimes known as the Picton Express.
Route
The service runs daily between Christchurch and Picton, New Zealand, passing through Kaikoura and Blenheim, along the Main North Line. It was introduced on Sunday, 25 September 1988 and took 5 hours 20 minutes. In the present timetable the northbound journey takes 5 hours 13 minutes, the southbound 5 hours 21 minutes.
Rolling stock
From 1982 until 1988 the Picton Express shared 12 former second class 56-ft long carriages, 56-ft guard's van and six 50-ft wooden box wagons/parcels vans with the Greymouth and West Coast Expresses. All these cars and wagons were painted bright red and had wall-to-wall carpet, fluorescent strip lights and later, a new design of seat from Addington Workshops. Cars with luggage space seated 46, passenger-only cars seated 52. During 1984-1985, while the red Picton/Greymouth cars were being fitted with new seats, three Southerner cars and a modular van for baggage were used on this train.
Refurbishment of service
In 1987, due to the need to re-equip the deteriorating yellow Northerner trains, cars were reallocated and refurbished to cover this and, hopefully, bring the travelling public back to rail at the same time.
With this change, the last three original Southerner day cars remaining were refurbished to the same design as the three "big window" cars on the TranzAlpine and the sole Connoisseur car. Two cars seated 51 each in the seats designed by Addington Workshops, which were reupholstered and re-arranged, alcove-style, around tables. The third car became a 31-seat servery/observation car fitted out similarly to its TranzAlpine counterpart, but with detail differences in the buffet counter area. A Mitsubishi - built modular van was fitted with an 11-kW petrol generator at the handbrake end for power/baggage duties.
The new train became a favourite with rail travellers, but it did not quite attract the same level of popularity as the TranzAlpine. In 1993, a "backpackers" car (a former red Picton - Greymouth car with luggage space at one end) was introduced, for train travellers looking for a cheaper option. This premise proved popular, as did adding up to five wagons authorised to travel at 100km/h conveying priority freight for the North Island or deep South.
In the early 1990s, the panorama cars were equipped with pressure ventilation like the Bay Express cars and the TranzAlpine rear observation car.
Connoisseur Service
On Monday, January 19, 1987 a private tourism firm leased a 29 (later 45) seat single-lavatory South Island Main Trunk first class car refurbished in 1970 for the Southerner and attached it to the Picton train initially, before expanding its operation to Greymouth and later Invercargill. It was marketed as a luxury carriage: it offered the same level of comfort as other Southerner cars, but the service was to a higher standard. Originally named the Connoisseurs' Express car, it was heavily refurbished to offer a superior quality service and renamed The Connoisseur car.
Rebranding and Re-Equipping
During 1996, the original TranzAlpine servery/observation car was thoroughly overhauled and air-conditioning installed, and this car, along with the two former Lynx Express cars and the car with luggage space, were permanently assigned to this train. The backpackers' car was later replaced by the only former Southerner (later Northerner) car to escape rebuilding as a panorama car or scrapping. It was fitted out with 47 of the same type of Addington seat that it had had in the mid to late 1980s, all seats facing toward the two centre tables, one on both sides of the aisle of the car, and became the new backpackers' car. The former Connoisseur car, thoroughly refurbished the year before with air conditioning installed, assumed regular duty on this service. The Lynx Express power/baggage van, and later the first of the 90-kW NIMT power/baggage vans were also permanently allocated to this service. Later, the second backpacker car had air conditioning installed, then, in late 2003, was transferred north for use on North Island Overlander/Northerner or Masterton/Wairarapa Connection services. It never returned.
The power/baggage van fitted out for the initial third NIMT passenger trainset in 1992 had its central and one end module converted into an open viewing area, while the other end module remained for luggage.
See also
External link
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