Herald Online reporter Paul Harper is making his way around the South Island by rail over the course of a fortnight. Here are some of the highlights of his trip so far.

Greg Rules uses his seven-day rail pass to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and to the Hakone mountains and lakes district before returning to Tokyo.

For anyone who doubts the need for the inner-city rail tunnel, the recent draft public transport plan is the document to change your mind, writes Brian Rudman.

KiwiRail has recently announced a series of closures and redundancies as it struggles to become more profitable.Does rail have a future in NZ? Send us Your Views.

Travelling by train with a young family turns the journey into part of the holiday, as Mark Rowe has discovered.

KiwiRail has announced it will cut 20 per cent of its infrastructure and engineering workforce, with the loss of 158 jobs by the end of next month.

The Amtrak Empire Builder may not be the most elegant train in the world, but the wide Montana scenery more than makes up for it.

Council transport chairman cites lack of competition for the high outlays.

Sighting a cosmic marvel more than makes up for a couple of sleepless nights, writes Janet Keeler.

KiwiRail may slow train speeds as one way to reassure users about the safety of its network.

Labour has asked tough questions about Kiwirail after it won an injunction preventing Radio NZ from reporting on its leaked business plan.