The ''Waikato Connection'' was a short-lived express passenger

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

between

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

and

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

. It consisted of a weekday single return service using

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or railway car) 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 coa ...

s. Like its southern counterpart, the ''

Capital Connection The Capital Connection is a long-distance commuter train operated by KiwiRail between Palmerston North and the capital city of Wellington on the North Island Main Trunk. In 2018, the service faced funding issues, but the Government ensured th ...

'' between

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

and

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, the service was operated by

Tranz Scenic Great Journeys New Zealand is the tourism division of KiwiRail that operate its three Scenic train services (TranzAlpine, Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific). The new division was launched in May 2017 and replaced the former tourism brand ...

and run as a commercial venture. The service was restored in 2021 for a five-year trial as ''"

Te Huia Te Huia is a passenger train service connecting the major cities of Hamilton and Auckland in New Zealand. The service is a five-year trial with subsidies from the NZ Transport Agency and Waikato local authorities. The opening was delayed beca ...

"''.

History

Operation

The service commenced as a six-month trial on Thursday 26 June 2000 and was primarily aimed at business people who regularly commuted to work in Auckland. It used ''

Silver Fern ''Alsophila tricolor'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Cyathea dealbata'', commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga or punga (from Māori language, Māori or ),The Māori word , pronounced , has been borrowed into Ne ...

'' railcars with full onboard catering and stopped at the intermediate stations of

Huntly Huntly ( or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlements include Keith ...

Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. The town is located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Puke ...

Papakura Papakura is a suburb of South Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland City Centre. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. The ar ...

Middlemore Middlemore is a suburb of the former Manukau City, one of the four cities that made up the conurbation of Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It ...

, and Newmarket. Four months into the trial the service was reported to be "performing up to expectations" and was later extended beyond the trial period.

Demise

Tranz Rail Tranz Rail, formally Tranz Rail Holdings Limited (New Zealand Rail Limited until 1995), was the main Rail transport in New Zealand, rail operator in New Zealand from 1991 until it was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2003. History The New Zealand ...

announced in October 2000 that it intended to exit the passenger rail business to concentrate on its freight interests. The new owner of Tranz Scenic, two directors of West Coast Railway in Australia, had limited purchase funds, and so were only prepared to purchase the most profitable services, prompting Tranz Rail to terminate those services that were not purchased, including the ''Waikato Connection''. It was officially cancelled on Sunday 7 October 2001 along with the ''

Geyserland Express The ''Geyserland 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) between Auckland and Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. I ...

'', the ''

Kaimai Express The ''Kaimai Express'' long-distance passenger train was operated by Tranz Rail under the Tranz Scenic brand (originally by New Zealand Rail Limited under the InterCity Rail brand) between the North Island cities of Auckland and Tauranga via ...

'', and the ''

Bay Express 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 Corporation's InterCity Ra ...

''. A replacement Tranz Metro service between Auckland and Pukekohe commenced the following day. Efforts were made to save the service prior to its cancellation, including an investigation made by Environment Waikato into the possibility of subsidising it. The council, which at the time had a policy of not subsidising rail services, decided against providing funding at $400,000 pa, which was deemed to be too expensive. An approach was also made to the government for funding, especially in light of the subsidy that they had extended for the '' Southerner'', but this was also declined. Tranz Scenic reported that the ''Waikato Connection'' was "the most unprofitable service" but that they would be prepared to consider retaining it with community support which they expected would be needed for about three years. At the time of its cancellation the ''Waikato Connection'' was being patronised by an average of 129 passengers per trip, most of whom boarded at Pukekohe or Papakura, with only about 30 of those travelling the full distance between Hamilton and Auckland. Some considered the cancellation premature as the service was beginning to grow in popularity.

Predecessor

A refurbished

NZR RM class (88 seater) The NZR RM class 88-Seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand. New Zealand Government Railways (NZR) classified them as RM (Rail Motor), the notation used for all railcars, numbering the 35 sets from RM100 to RM134. They were the mos ...

nicknamed the Blue Streak was used for a trial Hamilton–Auckland service from 8 April 1968, which was discontinued for lack of patronage.

Reintroduction

The service was reintroduced on 6 April 2021 as

, running between The Strand in Auckland and Hamilton.

References

External links

Images of coaches being refurbished at Hutt workshops in 2019
{{NZR Passenger Long-distance passenger trains in New Zealand Rail transport in Auckland Rail transport in Waikato Railway services introduced in 2000 Railway services discontinued in 2001 2000 establishments in New Zealand 2001 disestablishments in New Zealand Discontinued railway services in New Zealand