30 Apr 2019

Kaikōura quake-hit coastal rail service has 9 percent passenger increase

3:53 pm on 30 April 2019

The train service between Christchurch and Picton which reopened at the start of December has attracted large crowds over the summer, KiwiRail says.

The first passenger train on the newly reopened Coastal Pacific Rail Line arrives in Christchurch from Picton.

The reopened Coastal Pacific Rail Line arriving in Christchurch from Picton. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers

More than 27,000 passengers took the Coastal Pacific Train Service between Christchurch and Picton, the company said, which was 9 percent more than in 2016 before the track was closed because of damage.

The service was reopened on 1 December and had 258 passengers on its busiest day, 29 December.

Passengers were a mixture of New Zealand residents and international visitors, KiwiRail said.

It said the much-loved service was also in line for a major expansion in the near future.

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