Overlander reprieve brings joy - and a warning

News of operator Toll's last-minute decision to save the service, although with a reduced schedule, has brought smiles all round. But the Government has been told it will need to keep the rail track up to scratch to boost patronage on the Overlander train.

Ruapehu mayor Sue Morris said she was "over the moon" the Overlander was not being axed.

Wanganui mayor Michael Laws welcomed the announcement, saying "Toll are sports".

Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) general secretary Wayne Butson also said he was happy.

The vast majority of staff were keeping their jobs, New Zealanders who petitioned to save it were seeing their wish come true, and the North Island was keeping its one remaining long-distance train, he said.

Mr Butson said a reduced service was better than no service.

"It means the train continues to operate, it means that we can buy time, as Toll say, to upgrade the rolling stock, and when you're down to this sort of skeleton service, there's only one way it can go and that's to improve."

But, he said, the key to the train's survival would hinge on the Government and its agency Ontrack "actually getting the track back up to scratch".

One of the problems was that the train took 12 hours to travel between Wellington and Auckland.

In the past, the "old Silver Fern, the old Silver Star" had travelled at 110kph and had done the trip in 10 hours, Mr Butson said.

Speed restrictions

Currently, between Hamilton and Auckland there were 54 minutes of speed restrictions, making a journey that should take an hour last an hour and 54 minutes.

He said another issue slowing down the train was the frequent changes of locomotive engineers or train drivers required.

He believed Toll would want to talk to the union about that.

Green MP Sue Kedgley, who campaigned hard to keep the service, told NZPA the Overlander had been given a "stay of execution".

She was pleased Toll was planning to upgrade carriages but said the service needed to be marketed to ensure patronage.

"If the Government comes to the party and upgrades the rail (track) particularly north of Taumaranui, so that the train can be sped up, then I think it's certainly a good stop-gap solution and far better than finishing on Saturday," she said.

"But basically what we need is an upgraded, well-marketed daily service that tourists and New Zealanders can enjoy."

Toll said yesterday the Overlander would stay in service but it would run just three days a week outside the peak season.

The train had been due to run for the last time on Saturday, which would have ended 98 years of passenger train travel between Wellington and Auckland, after Toll said the service was losing too much money.

Toll spokeswoman Sue Foley said the company had been willing to give the service "a lifeline".

"So the big plea of course from us now is the public has got to support this. If they want services like this to stay, they've got to support it," she said.

- NZPA