Ski express almost finished
Work on a new passenger train service, to run between Mount Ruapehu and Auckland is almost finished at the Addington railway workshops in Christchurch.
The production manager of the rolling stock division at the workshop, Mr Graham Aitken, said that about 40 workers had been refurbishing the six carriages, a buffet car and guard’s van for the train, < They had been working “flat out” for a month to
complete work on the train, to be called the Kiwi Lager Ski Express.
The project is a joint venture between the Railways Corporation, . Kiwi Lager, and a ski-lodge operator, Mr Don Fletcher. The refurbishing is expected to cost about $lOO,OOO.
The work has included repainting, fitting carpets and heaters, and other repairs. The express will have first-class and economy
carriages, and a dining car and will carry up to 500 passengers.
It will leave Auckland for Ohakune on Friday evenings and return on Sunday evenings. The journey, which will take shr 40min one way, will cost $BO return. However, the train will have its first trip to Arthur’s Pass, on Sunday, when all those involved in the project at the Addington workshops will go for the ride. Mr Aitken said the car-
riages would go to Wellington next week for painting. The Addington workshops staff have plenty of work because of the success of the Tranz Alpine express, running between Christchurch and Greymouth. Workers were putting special, large windows in two carriages, and refurbishing a buffet car for the Tranz Alpine run, Mr Aitke® said. Carriages now on the route will be moved to the
Picton train, and workers are also refurbishing two buffet cars for the Southerner. A Railways Corporation spokesman said the workshops had so much work that they were short of coachbuilders. “It all came at once, mainly from the success of the Tranz Alpine route,” he said. Workers are . also refurbishing a railcar for the Wairarapa route in the North Island.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19880527.2.61
Bibliographic details
Press, 27 May 1988, Page 6
Word Count
327Ski express almost finished Press, 27 May 1988, Page 6
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.