train Archive

  • Julie Anne Genter

    Cycling to Southland – Day 1 (the easy part) - by Julie Anne Genter



    When I initially conceived of this journey to Southland by bike, I hoped to cycle down the west coast from Picton. But a quick look at the distance (over 1000km) and the calendar made it clear it would be impossible to get to the festival by the 21st. So I decided to take the train [...] read more
    January 14, 2012 11:03 pm - 34 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    Greater Wellington failing regional economy - by Gareth Hughes



    The roll-out of real time displays — screens that tell passengers when their bus or train will arrive — has been delayed yet again, Greater Wellington Regional Council reported yesterday. This is yet another setback in a long line of setbacks and broken promises stretching right back to the year 2000. European bus and train [...] read more
    June 17, 2011 5:11 pm - 23 Comments
  • frog

    The End of KiwiRail? - by frog



    I recently attended an ISCR seminar on the future of rail. According to the speaker, Dave Heatley, there’s basically no future for rail. Rail is unfixable in its present form, he argued, without making some “heroic assumptions” about how we measure externalities and the opportunity cost of keeping rail. Heatley’s damning report (available soon on the [...] read more
    February 19, 2009 4:49 pm - 106 Comments
  • frog

    The Wellington Transport Plan - by frog



    Line maintenance on Sue’s train line conspired to delay her arrival at the Greens launch of our Wellington Transport Plan.  But she got there by bus instead and announced a costed and detailed plan that would see a new light rail network linking the Hutt Valley, Porirua and the Airport. Stage one would see light [...] read more
    October 22, 2008 4:10 pm - 32 Comments
  • frog

    Electrifying the Rails – a Peak Oil Silver BB? - by frog



    Everyone agrees that there is no single technology, no single silver bullet to solve the challenges we face because of peak oil. However, across the bigger ditch in the US, a very relevant debate is brewing about a key technology plank in the response to peak oil – electrified rail. This topic is particularly pertinent [...] read more
    July 15, 2008 3:10 pm - 62 Comments
  • frog

    Tranz Metro celebrates 70 years on the Johnsonville Line - by frog



    Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of electrified commuter service on the Johnsonville Line into Wellington. The line itself dates back to 1885 and was the main line north from the capital until 1937, when the Tawa flat deviation was opened to all rail traffic. In the early 1930′s rail management considered closing the bypassed Johnsonville [...] read more
    July 1, 2008 12:33 pm - 16 Comments
  • frog

    Toll Rail Trials Bioloco - by frog



    Toll is having a go with B5 in one of its freight locos and one of it’s commuter locos in a project with Shell NZ. This is a humble beginning but a good one. Frogblog readers may not know that Toll was the 2007 winner of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Award for innovation in [...] read more
    April 23, 2008 10:09 am - 5 Comments