Service type Inter-city rail Start Wellington | First service 25 June 2012 Stops 7 | |
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Locale North Island, New Zealand Current operator(s) KiwiRail Scenic Journeys | ||
The Northern Explorer is a long-distance passenger train between Auckland and Wellington in the North Island of New Zealand, along the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT). It replaced the Overlander from 25 June 2012. Three services operate per week in each direction between Auckland's The Strand Station and Wellington Railway Station.
Contents
Origins
The first regular daylight Wellington-Auckland passenger train services, augmenting the older overnight services, were the steam-hauled Daylight Limited and diesel-hauled Scenic Daylight, which ran primarily during summer months and Easter holiday period for many years from the 1920s onwards. The arrival of the Blue Streak and later Silver Fern railcars saw an end for a time to regular carriage trains. At the time of its cessation, The Overlander was usually hauled by DC or EF locomotives with NZR 56-foot carriages.
Re-branding as the Northern Explorer
In 2012, passenger numbers were in decline. KiwiRail decided to replace the Overlander with the Northern Explorer, from Monday 25 June 2012. The new service uses one AKC and three AK class carriages, an AKL class luggage van and an AKV class power/viewing van from the Coastal Pacific. The timetable was accelerated by eliminating intermediate stops except Paraparaumu, Palmerston North, Ohakune, National Park, Otorohanga (summer only), Hamilton and Papakura. Since October 2016, fire suppressed DFB class locomotives have been assigned to the service.
Patronage
The Northern Explorer carried 39,419 passengers in the year to 30 June 2014; about 1,500 more than in 2012/13, but almost 23,000 fewer than the Overlander in 2011/12.