Ski express almost finished

Press, 27 May 1988, Page 6

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.