Save Our Trains - Southern

19/10/2026

Busy morning at Dunedin Railway Station with two packed trains departing - Dunedin Railways’ Taieri Gorge train, and the Mainlander off to Christchurch.
Yes, they are tourist trains, and not the regular, modern, affordable daily rail units running the Invercargill-Dunedin-Chch route, but what they do show is that passenger trains are viable in the South, popular, and that rail services are making a comeback.
Get with the programme, all you political parties, and make a commitment to rail in the South!
[Note: the Greens, NZ First and the Alliance have done exactly that in the last fortnight. We’re waiting to hear from the others.]

18/10/2026

NZ First has committed to the Southerner train’s restoration, and 12-month commuter rail trial in Canterbury

NZFirst says it will commit to a 12-month trial of commuter rail in Canterbury, as well as bringing back the Southerner Train that connected Christchurch with Dunedin and Invercargill, if re-elected.
NZFirst leader Winston Peters says it will give Cantabrians a real alternative to sitting in traffic every morning and every evening.

But he acknowledged "a permanent commuter railway can’t be built on wishful thinking".
"It needs passengers, it needs to make economic sense, and it needs to demonstrate that Cantabrians actually want it."

He said NZFirst would give Cantabrians the opportunity to prove it works "in practice, not just theory".

He called for people to use the trains - that would then build the business case for a permanent service.

That would be how the party makes the case for new stations, better connections, and the "long-term investment needed to make commuter rail a permanent feature of Canterbury".

Peters said the party's ambition was to get passengers from Rolleston to central Christchurch in around 20 minutes by train, instead of spending up to 50 minutes on the road.

He said the party would work with the current operators of the Mainlander train service on the routes, to secure a commercially sound agreement that gets more trains running.

"The railway lines are already here and the taxpayer owns them," said Peters.
"For decades, they have been passing through the communities without carrying the people who live in them. We believe that should change.

"We are not proposing to spend years and millions of dollars studying whether Cantabrians might catch a train. We are proposing to put the trains on and find out.

"That is the difference between talking about rail and delivering it."
- Lillian Hanly, political reporter

Save Our Trains Southern comment: this is a big start towards what is needed in the South Island for good passenger rail.
Commuter rail in Chch would need more than a 12-month trial - a 5-year trial might be realistic, given the amount of work involved in getting this started from scratch.
Ultimately, more than the current Mainlander is needed for the Chch-Dunedin-Invercargill service; it must be able to use the same modern railcar units as are being bought for the North Island, and run at least daily in each direction.
However, like the Greens’ announced policy, NZ First has provided a starting point for any incoming Govt they are part of - we thank both these parties for their explicit support for a transport option that has been long-needed in the South Island!

14/10/2026

WHAT DO YOUR TAIERI CANDIDATES THINK ABOUT PASSENGER RAIL?
3 weeks ago, we surveyed all candidates standing (at that time) for seats from Christchurch down to Invercargill about their views on passenger rail. We asked 4 questions, see below, and gave them a chance to add up to 50 words extra as comments.
Here are their answers, and we also list their comments below”

Robbie BYARS (Act) – no response, after 3 attempts to get answers.

Matthew FRENCH (National) – no response, after 3 attempts to get answers.

Anna KNIGHT (Alliance) - I support both Save Our Trains and RPR and frequently attend public meetings to further this cause. Roads of National Significance have been a shocking weight on the public purse with little return on investment, particularly for the South Island. We need freight off our roads and onto rail/shipping and decent public transport options.

Ingrid LEARY (Labour) - Labour backed Te Huia and new Capital Connection trains. Our approach to intercity rail is practical: test demand, build the case, then invest. The Mainlander shows there's interest in the South Island. We’ll work with councils, KiwiRail and operators on a costed business case before any funding commitments.

Mark PATTERSON (NZ FIRST) - New Zealand First are proud of our track record of supporting rail. Under Rail Minister Winston Peters we have seen a lift from in investment into rail and a financial turnaround for KiwiRail. Reestablishing commuter rail in the South Island is something we are supportive of subject to a robust business case.

Scott WILLIS (Greens) - The Green Party will restore both passenger rail and freight. The Green Party is the only party with a plan to improve the rail network to lower the cost of living
and make getting around easier. We will bring back the Southerner connection between Christchurch and Dunedin first, then Invercargill.

11/10/2026

$243 million per km to build new Auckland road, when we have all these other needs!

11/10/2026

WHAT DO YOUR CANDIDATES THINK ABOUT PASSENGER RAIL?
3 weeks ago, we surveyed all candidates standing (at that time) for seats from Christchurch down to Invercargill about their views on passenger rail. We asked 4 questions, see below, and gave them a chance to add up to 50 words extra as comments.
Here are their answers, and we also list their comments below”
Kristine ASUNCION (National) – no response, after 3 attempts to get answers.
Dave BAINBRIDGE-ZAFAR (Opportunity) - Opportunity is proposing a $1 billion capital injection into rail, to help the shift from private car use. We are proposing universal free public transport too. We are an evidence-based party; if it works, we'll back it.
Victor BILLOT (Alliance) -I have been an active long time supporter of the Save Our Trains campaign in Dunedin and have worked with the RMTU on rail issues. The Alliance has a strong pro-rail policy.
My previous article https://www.odt.co.nz/news/opinion/time-never-better-for-passenger-rail-service-luwwlzwj
Rachel BROOKING (Labour) - Labour backed Te Huia and new Capital Connection trains. Our approach to intercity rail is practical: test demand, build the case, then invest. The Mainlander shows there's interest in the South Island. We’ll work with councils, KiwiRail and operators on a costed business case before any funding commitments.
Francisco HERNANDEZ (Greens) - The Greens are committed to restariting the Southerner and working to move freight from rail and encouraging public and active transport.
Kym McDONALD-KING (NZ First) - In Budget 26 we assigned $1.075 Billion dollars for KiwiRail's planned networks, as we see this as an investment in Rail and economic enabler. We also directly supported the Auckland City Rail Link, the Marden Point-Northport rail connection and Port Otago Rail siding when other parties were silent.

03/10/2026

Green Party announces costed plan for passenger rail between major NZ cities:
- passenger rail between Dunedin & Christchurch
-extend Te Huia train (Akl-Hamilton) to Tauranga
- Night train from Auckland to Wellington
ELECTION TRANSPORT NEWS…

The Green Party says it will connect the country with intercity passenger rail services, if elected.

23/09/2026

Is the Govt, egged on by the so-called Taxpayers’ Union - looking at the possibility of ripping up large chunks of our rail network?
Thought-provoking blog from Linked In by one of NZ’s most experienced rail consultants, Michael Van Droegenbroek.
https://lnkd.in/p/e9SBpWek

22/09/2026

Southern train trip canned after tragedy in Waikato….
Green MP Celia Wade-Brown, a former Mayor of Wellington, met with local Save Our Trains Southern representatives at Dunedin railway station before planning to hop on the monthly Mainlander train to Christchurch.

But the chance to head north by train was denied for passengers on Monday, after a death at a railway station in the North Island.

The Mainlander service was scheduled to travel between Dunedin and Christchurch on Monday but never ran, its operator cancelling it on Sunday night.

A person died at the Te Awamutu railway station in Waikato about 6.20pm on Sunday after they were hit by a train from Glenbrook Vintage Railway, which runs steam-hauled day trips around Waikato and Auckland.

A Steam Incorporated Ltd spokesman said the decision to cancel the train was made to give its crew time and space to process what had happened and support one another.

Steam Incorporated Ltd operates the train in Waikato and also the Mainlander.

“The heritage sector is a small and tight-knit community where everyone knows each other and [the] tragic incident will be felt widely across the sector. The wellbeing of our people is a priority for us,” the spokesman said.

The cancellation applied only to Monday’s Mainland Rail service. Steam Incorporated had not recommended other heritage operators cease services. The Dunedin Railway Station service went, as normal, to the Taieri Gorge on Monday.

“Safety trumps all, so I can understand why they did it. And we have had good service and they have looked after us well. But I would have preferred to be on a train,” Ms Wade-Brown said.

She was born and grew up in Paddington in London, so the train trip on Monday would have been a case of going from “Paddington to Addington” for her.

An email had been sent late on Sunday night advising her of the cancellation. She wanted to experience the train trip and had met Save our Trains southern representative Dave MacPherson, she said.

Up to six buses replaced the train.

Police are investigating and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is gathering information about the fatality to determine if a separate investigation will be undertaken as it is the rail safety regulator.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission said on Monday it was investigating the incident.

18/09/2026

Trains v buses…
This comment was posted on our page today & we thought we’d share it with you - a long term coach driver saying he’d prefer to ride on a train!
We think buses/coaches have their place; they can connect train passengers to places where trains will never go, BUT for longer distance routes where rail tracks exist (and that’s a LOT of this country) it’s hard to beat the comfort, price and accessibility of trains!