page_title: Rail transport in New Zealand
hierarchical_section_title: Rail transport in New Zealand
caption_attribution_description: English: DL 9020 on train MP4 near Papakura, Auckland
context_page_description: Rail transport in New Zealand is an integral part of New Zealand's transport network, with a nationwide network of 4,128 km of track linking most major cities in the North and South Islands, connected by inter-island rail and road ferries. Rail transport in New Zealand has a particular focus on bulk freight exports and imports, with 19 million net tonnes moved by rail annually, with 99.5% of New Zealand's exports and imports being transported through the country's seaports.
  Rail transport played an important role in the opening up and development of the hinterland outside of New Zealand's predominantly dispersed and coastal settlements. Starting with the Ferrymead Railway in 1863, most public railway lines were short, built by provincial governments and connected major centres to their nearest seaport. From the 1870s, focus shifted to building a nationwide network linking major centres, especially during the Vogel Era of railway construction following the abolition of the provinces. Narrow gauge of 3ft 6in was adopted nationally.
context_section_description: Rail transport in New Zealand is an integral part of New Zealand's transport network, with a nationwide network of 4,128 km of track linking most major cities in the North and South Islands, connected by inter-island rail and road ferries. Rail transport in New Zealand has a particular focus on bulk freight exports and imports, with 19 million net tonnes moved by rail annually, with 99.5% of New Zealand's exports and imports being transported through the country's seaports.
  Rail transport played an important role in the opening up and development of the hinterland outside of New Zealand's predominantly dispersed and coastal settlements. Starting with the Ferrymead Railway in 1863, most public railway lines were short, built by provincial governments and connected major centres to their nearest seaport (such as Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton Harbour). From the 1870s, focus shifted to building a nationwide network linking major centres, especially during the Vogel Era of railway construction following the abolition of the provinces. Narrow gauge of 3ft 6in (1,067mm) was adopted nationally. Railways became centrally controlled as a government department under the names New Zealand Government Railways or New Zealand Railways Department (NZR), and land transport was heavily regulated from 1931 onwards. NZR eventually expanded into other transport modes, especially with the Railways Road Services, inter-island ferries and Rail Air service. NZR also had an extensive network of workshops. By 1981, NZR employed 22,000 staff.
  In the early 1980s, NZR was corporatised as the New Zealand Railways Corporation and drastically restructured, especially following the deregulation of land transport in 1983. The Corporation became a state-owned enterprise in 1987, required to turn a profit. In 1991, the rail, inter-island ferry and infrastructure businesses of the Railways Corporation were split off into New Zealand Rail Limited, which was in turn privatised in 1993, and renamed Tranz Rail in 1995. The parcels and bus service business units were also privatised, and the Railways Corporation continued to dispose of surplus land. The central government renationalised first the Auckland metro railway network in 2001, then the rest of the country in 2004, and finally the rail and ferry operations in 2008, creating a new state-owned enterprise, KiwiRail.
  Today, services are primarily provided by KiwiRail and focused on bulk freight, with a small number of tourist orientated passenger services, such as the TranzAlpine, Coastal Pacific and Northern Explorer. Dunedin Railways also operate tourist trains out of Dunedin, and a number of heritage operators run charter specials from time to time. Urban passenger rail services exist only in Auckland and Wellington. Rail in New Zealand has received significant and ongoing government investment since re-nationalisation in 2008, with the two urban rail systems being upgraded.
caption: KiwiRail DL9020 on MetroPort train MP4 at Papakura, Auckland on 29 August 2011.
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