TranzAlpine back on track

Scenic train trip the TranzAlpine is back on the rails after a five-month Covid break. Passengers boarded at Christchurch Railway Station yesterday morning for the first TranzAlpine trip across the Southern Alps to Greymouth since mid-August. Crown-owned rail company KiwiRail had put its scenic routes on hold when New Zealand went into its 2021 lockdown. It also suspended the trips in 2020. The TranzAlpine can operate under both the orange and green levels of the Covid traffic light system, which the Government introduced in early December. Tracey Goodall, a KiwiRail manager, said they were delighted to have the service, which travels to Greymouth and back in a day, back up and running. Last month, KiwiRail announced its other two scenic train trips – the Auckland-to-Wellington Northern Explorer and the Picton-to-Christchurch Coastal Pacific – would remain suspended, with staff seconded to other areas. It indicated the routes might return in a modified form when borders reopen.