Too much competition, so a legend makes its last run

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

It was all aboard the Northerner trains between Auckland and Wellington for the last time last night, ending almost a century of overnight travel on the main trunk line.

Rail buffs and journalists ensured the services were fuller than usual for the farewells, with 63 passengers booked to leave Auckland and about 100 from Wellington on the 161-seat trains.

Upper Hutt City Council promotions manager Paul Lambert agreed he had probably left it a little late to start a Save the Northerner campaign, despite sporting that message on a T-shirt while waiting at Britomart for the last trip home.

Rail operator Toll New Zealand says demand for the 12-hour trip has been declining since 2001 against competition from cheap air fares and cars.

Even the Army appeared to have given up on trains stopping at Waiouru, opting to use its own buses to carry recruits to camp.

Toll spokeswoman Sue Foley said the overnight trains had become "completely uneconomic", but she was confident the daytime Overlanders between Auckland and Wellington would continue to thrive, bolstered by tourists and spectacular views.

Toll planned no official fanfare last night, but the Green Party promised to greet the northbound train in Auckland this morning with banners and flowers for the driver and staff in recognition of what MP Keith Locke said was "a job well done".

He said the services were being wiped for short-term economic reasons and predicted they would be resurrected as rising fuel prices hit road and air transport.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union secretary Wayne Butson said it was ironic the last trains were leaving on what was to have been the deadline day for submissions on the Government's draft rail strategy, aimed at enticing more passengers out of cars.

The deadline has been extended to the end of this month, to give newly-elected local bodies more time to respond.

Mr Butson said the axing of the Northerner was a tragedy for heartland New Zealand communities, although he was pleased there would be no redundancies as all staff were to transfer to the Overlander.

"They talk about strong competition from air transport, but there are not a lot of Air New Zealand services to Taumarunui and Taihape."

The first overnight express train left Auckland on February 14, 1909, and took just over 19 hours to reach Wellington with two postal vans, six sitting cars, two sleeping cars, a dining car and a guard's van.

The New Zealand railways encyclopedia, Rails That Built a Nation, says the dining car was dropped in 1917 as a war economy measure.

Passengers had to grab pies, sandwiches and tea in a stampede during brief stops at places such as Taumarunui until on-board catering returned when the Northerner and the luxurious but short-lived Silver Star replaced the bone-shaking Limited Express in the 1970s.

The North Island main trunk line

I'm an ordinary joker, growin' old before me time,

'Cause me heart's in Taumarunui on the Main Trunk Line. - New Zealand songwriter Peter Cape, 1957.

* Length: 680.76km from Auckland to Wellington

* Opened: November 6 1908; last spike driven by Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward

* First overnight passenger service: February 14, 1909

source: Robin Bromby - Rails That Built A Nation