TranzAlpine Express

Intercity TranzAlpine express leaflet including history

Intercity TranzAlpine express leaflet

One of the great missed opportunities for NZ Railways over many years was that until 1988 it did not make its most scenic trip - the journey through Arthur's Pass and the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth, into one attractive for tourists. It was primarily seen as a service for West Coast people (at least in the vicinity of Greymouth and Hokitika) to reach Canterbury. The "Christchurch-Greymouth Express" from 1978 (when it replaced the highly unreliable Fiat railcars) until 1988 operated a service that had many on-call stops and two refreshment stops (Springfield and Otira).

The genesis of the TranzAlpine Express was the decision by the Lange Labour Government to cease the Social Services subsidies that had commenced when the Railways Department became a Corporation.  From 1982, the Railways Corporation operated commercial services, but received subsidies from central government, through the Ministry of Transport for "social services" which Government wanted it to undertake, but which were not commercially viable according to NZRC.  The Christchurch-Greymouth Express (and indeed the whole West Coast rail network) received annual subsidies on this basis, as did all other long-distance passenger rail services (and suburban ones in Auckland and Wellington). At the time the train was seen as one of the poorest performing on the network, largely being subsidised because the highway (SH73) through Arthur's Pass was seen as treacherous and unreliable for a bus service, especially to service some communities not close to SH73.  It was very much seen as a service that kept the West Coast connected to Canterbury (noting the air service from Hokitika was not seen as an appropriate alternative for many on lower incomes). 

The Government decided that the annual subsidies, which were paid on a fully-allocated cost basis (including subsidies for overheads and fixed network costs), should cease and gave NZRC one year of subsidies on a bulk funding basis for it to spend as capital with the intention to make long-distance passenger services self-sustaining.  This saw a number of measures taken including:

• End of sleeping cars and full buffet car on the Northerner (a downgrade), ultimately replaced with an on-board shop
• Replacement of the Taihape refreshment stop with on-board meals for the Silverfern (an upgrade)
• Refurbishment of rolling stock including buffet service and on-board bar for the Christchurch-Greymouth, Picton-Christchurch and Wellington-Napier services.
• Refurbishment of Southerner rolling stock to increase capacity (reducing the number of carriages to save on costs).
• The Christchurch-Greymouth Express becoming a single out and back service each day, rather than two separate trains operating at similar times in each direction (halving rolling stock requirements and reducing operating costs). 

The naming of the TranzAlpine Express was accompanied by refurbishing 56ft carriages with one car with larger windows, the installation of an on-board buffet shop/bar, new seats with tray tables and sheepskin seat covers. An on-board audio system for announcements and commentary was new, and of course the refreshment rooms at Springfield and Otira were closed as an economy measure (as most days they only had customers in any volumes for around 30 minutes a day).  The Wikipedia article on the TranzAlpine has a good history of the rolling stock changes through the 1980s and 1990s. 

This leaflet highlights the improved level of service and history of the West Coast line, but also note on-board bar and Devonshire teas, indicating a level of interest in quality of on-board service not seen for some time (especially since 1981 which saw the downgrading of buffet cars from having restaurant service with cooked meals down to cafeteria service with sandwiches, pies, sausage rolls and NZ 1980s style continental breakfast (cereal, fruit and instant coffee). 

The future success of the TranzAlpine is not noticeable in this early leaflet which dates from around 1989. The Christchurch-Greymouth Express typically ran with two carriages each way a day, which until the late 1980s meant one smoking, one non-smoking.  However, the TranzAlpine was a great success, doubling patronage in the first year and the train soon ranged from six to ten carriages.  Of course in 2012 the aging 56ft carriages (dating from 1937-1945) were replaced with brand new AK carriages.