Local transportation in the Wellington area

The public transport in the Wellington region is provided by different modes of transport. These include suburban trains, city and regional buses as diesel or trolleybuses, ferries and a funicular railway. The regional administration plans and promotes local transport.

In 2014/15 the proposed grant was NZD 38.5 million (20.8%) from the regional administration, NZD 45 million (24.2%) from the New Zealand Transport Agency and the remainder from passenger revenue.

The offer is marketed under the Metlink brand.

Rail transport

Route network in the Wellington area

The Wellington region's local rail passenger service comprises five lines. Mainly electric railcars operate on the network, with diesel vehicles on some sections of the route.

It operates on the basis of a contract with the Greater Wellington Regional Council , which subsidizes the operation and maintenance of the facilities and rolling stock. The regional administration also owns all railway stations with the exception of Wellington Station, depots, parking facilities and all trains. Kiwi Rail is in charge of the railway facilities and Transdev Wellington is currently in charge of operations.

Local rail passenger transport is part of the Metlink network . In 2014/2015 around 110,000 train journeys were made.

history

Electric train operations began on July 2, 1938 on what is now the Johnsonville route. The line was once part of the North Island main line and was converted into a suburban railway line after the Tava bypass was completed. Local rail transport, as in the rest of the country, was operated by the New Zealand Railways Department . Vehicles of the DM series were used.

The New Zealand Railways Department was transferred to the New Zealand Railways Corporation in 1982 and local transport operated under the Cityline brand. The vehicle fleet was modernized in the 1980s with the acquisition of the EM series.

After a further restructuring of the New Zealand railway system and transfer to New Zealand Rail in 1991, the suburban train service was operated under the name City Rail . The Tranz Metro brand was introduced in 1993 when the railway company was privatized and renamed Tranz Rail . The company was sold to the Australian company Toll Holdings in 2004 and renamed Toll Rail . Previously, the entire country's route network was taken over by the state in 2003. When the government bought back Toll Rail in 2008, the company was renamed Kiwi Rail.

The route network was modernized from 2007. This also included the order for new FP series vehicles from the Greater Wellington Regional Council. It was also agreed that since July 1, 2011, the older series as well as all train stations (with the exception of Wellington train station ) will be transferred to the ownership of the Greater Wellington Regional Council. The route network remains the responsibility of Kiwi Rail.

In July 2016, the French company Transdev took over the operation following a tender, replacing the contract between the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Kiwi Rail division Tranz Metro, which had been in effect since 2006.

Route network

Wellington area suburban train network

Legend 91.0 Master tone 89.4 Renall Street 88.1 Solway 76.6 Carterton 69.6 Matarawa 65.1 Woodside 57.2 Featherston 55.4 Waikanae Lindale planned 48.3 Paraparaumu Raumati South planned 38.8 Paekakariki 38.8 Maymorn 32.4 Upper Hutt 31.3 Wallaceville 29.4 Trentham 28.2 Heretaunga 26.8 Silverstream 23.7 Manor Park 22.0 Pomare 20.6 Taita 19.5 Wingate 18.3 Naenae 16.5 Epuni 15.5 Waterloo Interchange 14.4 Woburn 12.5 Ava 31.2 Muri 30.4 Pukerua Bay 24.5 Plimmerton 23.2 Mana 21.9 Paremata 17.7 Porirua 16.2 Kenepuru 14.9 Linden trees 13.8 Tawa 13.1 redwood 11.9 Takapu Road 13.5 Melling 11.9 Western hat 10.5 Petone 4.8 Ngauranga 2.6 Kaiwharawhara 10.5 Johnsonville 9.2 Raroa 8.0 Khandallah 7.2 Box Hill 6.9 Simla Crescent 6.0 Awarua Street 5.2 Ngaio 4.9 Crofton Downs 0.0 Wellington

See also : List of Wellington Railway Stations

Five lines are operated that open up the region around Wellington to the north and northeast. No separate track structure is used, but a route network that is also used for long-distance traffic. This is essentially the North Island Main Trunk Railway , which connects Wellington and Auckland and is used by local trains to Waikanae . The Wairarapa route to Masterton is also used. All lines start at Wellington Station .

There are five lines:

• Johnsonville: The line goes to the Johnsonville neighborhood. The single-track line used originally belonged to the main line of the North Island. Since 1937, this winding section has been bypassed by a stretch with two tunnels.
• Kapiti: This line leads to Waikanae via Porirua . The trains run on the main line of the North Island.
• Hutt Valley: This line runs via Petone and Waterloo (to Lower Hutt ) to Upper Hutt . The Wairarapa route is used.
• Melling: This line also uses the Wairarapa line to Petone, then branches off and leads to Melling (to Lower Hutt). This section was part of the Wairarapa line until 1955, when it was then led through the eastern side of the valley.
• Wairarapa: The line also runs the Wairarapa route to Upper Hutt, like the Hutt Valley line, but only stops in Petone and Waterloo until then. From Upper Hutt the line continues to Masterton. The route is marketed as the "Wairarapa Connection".

Overview of the technical data of the lines:

line	route	length	Train stations	Travel time
Johnsonville	Wellington ↔ Johnsonville	10.5 km	9	approx. 21 min.
Kapiti	Wellington ↔ Waikanae	55.4 km	19th	approx. 60 min.
Hutt Valley	Wellington ↔ Upper Hutt	32.4 km	18th	approx. 45 min.
Melling	Wellington ↔ Melling	13.5 km	6th	approx. 19 min.
Wairarapa	Wellington ↔ Masterton	91 km	12	approx. 90 min.

The two branches to Johnsonville and Melling are single-track. The North Island main line is double-tracked until shortly before Waikanae and with the exception of an approximately 3-kilometer section between Muri and Paekakariki. The Wairarapa line has two tracks as far as Trentham (3 kilometers from Upper Hutt). The entire route network covers 161 kilometers. With the exception of the section between Upper Hutt and Masterton, the network is electrified (102 kilometers) and operated with 1500 volts DC.

It is a narrow-gauge railway network , as the gauge, like all New Zealand routes, is 1067 millimeters ( Cape gauge ).

In 2006, the regional government investigated ways to improve public transportation in the north of the city around Johnsonville. The Johnsonville line is also included in the considerations. There is the scenario of modernizing the line or expanding it into a light rail system and then leading it beyond Wellington station into the city center to Courtney Place. Other scenarios envisage the setting and dismantling of the route in order to operate lane buses on the corridor or convert it into a hiking trail.

Between 2008 and 2011 the network was subject to improvement measures. The Paraparaumu line was expanded by around 7 kilometers and one station. Since February 20, 2011 the trains have been running via Paraparauma to Waikanae and the line has been called the Kapiti Line since then. The new section has been expanded to two tracks and is electrified. Also on this line, the section between Mackays Crossing and Paraparaumu was double-tracked. New vehicles of the FP series were purchased. In order to be able to use these on the Johnsonville line, some stations and tunnels had to be rebuilt.

vehicles

An FP series multiple unit train in Wellington station

All lines with the exception of the Wairarapa line are served by electric railcars . They take the traction current from an overhead contact line with 1,500 volts direct current. The Wellington network was an exception in New Zealand until the start of electrical operation of the suburban train network in Auckland in 2014.

Current series

The vehicle fleet is made up of the FP series electric railcars . A railcar unit consists of a motor car and a sidecar and offers 134 seats and 230 standing places. The vehicles were ordered as part of a renewal program and manufactured by the Hyundai Rotem and Mitsui Group consortium . This meant that the older series with vehicles from English Electric should be shut down. The first vehicle was handed over on December 23, 2010 and the planned total inventory is 83 units after further reorders.

The series is also referred to by the name Matangi , Maori for wind or breeze. The name was determined as part of an official competition and refers to the windy weather conditions that often prevail in Wellington.

Since the Wairarapa line is only electrified between Wellington and Upper Hutt, trains that are hauled by a diesel locomotive run on the Wairarapa line. As a rule, locomotives of the DF (T) series are used in front of the SW (Suburban Wairarapa) wagons. The wagons were created by converting Mark 2 wagons from the former British Rail , which were acquired in 1996. Some of these wagons were also used in a variant as the SE series in express traffic on the Hutt Valley Line or Paraparaumu Line to meet the increased demand.

Former series

In addition, the DM series was part of the inventory, which was built by English Electric . The vehicles were put into operation in 1938. This type was last used on the Johnsonville and Melling lines. By purchasing the FP series, the obsolete vehicles could be decommissioned, so that the last trip took place on June 25, 2012. Most recently, 14 motor vehicles and 19 sidecars were in operation.

An EM class railcar near Epuni

The vehicle fleet was supplemented by the EM series electric multiple units , which were produced by Ganz-MÁVAG in Hungary in the 1980s . They consist of two parts, a drive car and a sidecar. They usually form trains with two to eight cars. There are a total of 44 railcar units. A start was made to modernize the vehicles as part of a renewal program and to use them for longer. After a further reorder of new vehicles from the FP series in 2012, it has meanwhile been decided to decommission the stock. The last run of a train of the series took place on May 27, 2016.

Between 2008 and 2011 two parked electric locomotives of the EO series were reactivated in order to increase the capacity in front of the SE series passenger cars. The locomotives were in use on an electrified section of the Midland Line until 1997 and were parked after the switch to diesel operation.

omnibus

In 2013, the region was opened up by more than 100 bus routes with 517 buses. The city bus network in Wellington has been operated mainly by Tranz Urban, a company of the Tranzit Group , since 2018 . Following a tender, it has a market share of 60% in the region. Other providers are UZA Bus (for Kapiti Coast) with 6% market share, Mana Coach Services with also 6% market share, and NZ Bus with 28% share of the transport services in the region. The fleet consists mainly of diesel buses.

NZ Bus, a company of the infrastructure investor Infratil , had the largest share of transport services in the region with its subsidiaries Go Wellington and Valley Flyer up to 2018 with 73%.

trolleybus

In the city of Wellington, Go Wellington also operated the Wellington trolleybus until October 2017 . Most recently, it consisted of a network comprising nine lines on which 60 vehicles operated.

Ferries

A ferry line exists between Queens Wharf in Wellington city center and Days Bay near Eastbourne . Petone , Seatoun and Matiu / Somes Island are also called at the weekend or outside of peak times . The operator is East by West, which operates two passenger ferries.

Funicular

→ Main article : Wellington Cable Car

Since 1902, a funicular has also connected Lambton Quay in the city center with Kelburn.

See also

• Rail transport in New Zealand
• List of Wellington Railway Stations

Web links

Commons : Public transport in Wellington  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Metlink - umbrella brand of the Greater Wellington Regional Council for mass transit
• Transdev Wellington - suburban train operator
• NZ Bus - bus operator
• East By West - ferry operator
• Greater Wellington Regional Council with public transport information
• Appendix B: Tranz Metro , in: Report 03/295. 2003. ( PDF file )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Katie Chapman: $ 168m Wellington rail package signed. In: Dominion Post. July 5, 2011, accessed January 1, 2012 .  
2. ↑ ^{a b} Greater Wellington Regional Council: Preferred operator selected for Wellington's rail service. Greater Wellington Regional Council, December 17, 2015, accessed February 20, 2016 .  
3. ^ Performance - Greater Wellington Public Transport - Performance . Greater Wellington Regional Council , archived from the original on December 27, 2015 ; accessed on May 3, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).  
4. ^ Electric trains come to Wellington . In: New Zealand History . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , August 27, 2014, accessed February 20, 2016 .  
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Wellington Region Rail Program. Kiwi Rail, accessed January 1, 2012 .  
6. ^ Four transport solutions proposed for Wellington's northern suburbs . Greater Wellington Regional Council , June 14, 2006, archived from the original on February 22, 2013 ; accessed on May 3, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).  
7. ^ Wellington Regional Rail Plan. (PDF 4.8 MB) Greater Wellington Regional Council, July 2, 2009, accessed January 1, 2012 .  
8. ^ Auckland Transport: Electric trains. Retrieved February 20, 2016 .  
9. ^ Greater Wellington buys new electric commuter trains . Greater Wellington Regional Council as of November 13, 2007, archived from the original on February 22, 2013 ; accessed on May 3, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).  
10. ^ ^{A b} Greater Wellington Regional Council: Wellington's trains: replace or refurbish? Press release. August 23, 2012, accessed February 20, 2016 .  
11. ^ Matt Steward: After 74 years, English Electric trains retire. In: Dominion Post. June 25, 2012, accessed February 20, 2016 .  
12. ↑ Jim Chipp: Hutt railway workshops won't get $ 80m contract. In: The Hutt News. August 23, 2012, accessed February 20, 2016 .  
13. ↑ The whole of Mavag train makes last trip on Friday. In: Dominion Post. May 23, 2016, accessed December 27, 2016 .  
14. ↑ Tina Morrison: Infratil loses big chunk of Wellington council bus contract. In: New Zealand Herald. May 5, 2017, accessed August 19, 2018 .  
15. ↑ Regional Public Transport Plan 2014. (PDF) Greater Wellington Regional Council, July 1, 2014, accessed December 28, 2016 .