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Tranz Metro
Info
Owner	KiwiRail
Locale	Wellington Region, New Zealand
Transit type	Suburban rail
Number of lines	5
Number of stations	49
Headquarters	Wellington Railway Station, Wellington
Operation
Began operation	1985 (as Cityline)
Technical
System length	154 km (96 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification	1500V DC overhead (95 km/59 mi)

Tranz Metro is the suburban rail operator in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of KiwiRail, and a member of the Greater Wellington Regional Council's (GWRC) Metlink public transport network.

Tranz Metro operates a five-line 154-kilometre (96 mi) network, fanning north out of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, as far as Paraparaumu in the west and Masterton in the east. On average, 800,000 trips are made on Tranz Metro services each month.^[1]

[edit] History

[edit] Ownership

In the 1980s the Auckland and Wellington suburban rail networks were part of the government-owned New Zealand Railways Corporation, operating with Railways-owned buses under the brand name Cityline, renamed CityRail after the railway operations were transferred to New Zealand Rail Ltd in 1991.

In 1993 New Zealand Rail Ltd was privatised and renamed Tranz Rail in 1995, with CityRail rebranded Tranz Metro. The Auckland Regional Council bought the Auckland CityRail fleet, contracting New Zealand Rail to run it for 10 years. Tranz Rail did not bid for the contract when it expired in 2003, and these services are now operated by Veolia.

Tranz Metro was created as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tranz Rail in 2003, which announced its intention to sell Tranz Metro. Stagecoach New Zealand and the Greater Wellington Regional Council announced their intention to bid for the Wellington operations, but both were barred by the Commerce Commission from doing so.

In 2004 Toll Holdings of Australia bought a majority shareholding in Tranz Rail and renamed the company Toll NZ, and on 1 July 2008 it was bought (less the Tranz Link trucking and distribution arm) by the government and renamed KiwiRail.

[edit] Operations

The Wellington services are operated under contract from Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC). It subsidises the operation and any capital improvements to the stations and rolling stock. Typically 60% of that subsidy comes from central government through the NZ Transport Agency (formerly Land Transport New Zealand), which approves such funding after analysis of the economics and net benefits, the remainder coming from the GWRC. Public consultation in 2005-2006 has resulted in some changes of emphasis in the new contract, which runs for ten years from June 2006 ^[2]. The September 2006 fare rises and section changes were stated to part-pay for a major upgrade of trains and facilities over the next few years in conjunction with regional bus service improvements.

[edit] Services

Tranz Metro network

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Wellington

Map of Tranz Metro operations.

Tranz Metro's network consists of five lines totalling 154 kilometres (96 mi). All lines originate from Wellington Railway Station, at the northern end of the Wellington central business district.

Around 95 kilometres (59 mi) of the network is electrified with 1500-volt direct current overhead lines. The only part of the network not electrified is the Wairarapa Line between Upper Hutt and Masterton, which means Wairarapa Connection trains need to be diesel-hauled.

Until 2001, Tranz Metro also operated the Capital Connection service between Palmerston North and Wellington. On the sale of 50% of Tranz Scenic to directors of the West Coast Railway (subsequently repurchased by Toll) it was transferred to Tranz Scenic, where it remains.

The five Tranz Metro lines, from west to east, are:-

Line	Abbr.	Colour on map	Between Wellington and	Length	Travel time (approx)	Description
Johnsonville	JVL	Blue	Johnsonville	10.5	21	A narrow and winding route through the hills of the northern suburbs of Wellington. Built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, it was part of the North Island Main Trunk until bypassed in 1937 by the Tawa Flat deviation.
Paraparaumu	PPL	Green	Paraparaumu	48.3	56	Along the North Island Main Trunk through Porirua.
Hutt Valley	HVL	Red	Upper Hutt	32.4	45	Along the Wairarapa Line through Waterloo in Lower Hutt to Upper Hutt, the edge of the Wellington urban area.
Melling	MEL	Orange	Melling	13.5	19	Along the Wairarapa Line to Petone, then along the Hutt Valley's western edge. Part of the Wairarapa Line until that line was diverted in 1955 along the eastern side of the valley.
Wairarapa Connection	WRL	Yellow	Masterton	91.0	100	Along the Wairarapa Line to Masterton, the largest town in the Wairarapa. Limited stops between Wellington and Upper Hutt, marketed as the Wairarapa Connection.

All but the Melling Line operate seven days a week. The Melling Line does not operate on weekends or public holidays.

[edit] Rolling stock

Tranz Metro's rolling stock consists of electric multiple units and diesel or electric locomotive-hauled carriages.

Much of Tranz Metro's current fleet was inherited when the company was formed in 1985. Electric locomotive-hauled services were withdrawn in 1988 on the retirement of the EW class electric locomotives, displaced by the EM/ET class electric multiple units introduced in 1982. DM/D class EMUs were withdrawn over the years as they became uneconomical to operate. Several DM/D units were kept for peak services and the Johnsonville Line, where the loading gauge prevented the EM/ET units operating.

New carriages were introduced to the Capital Connection service in 1998, and the Wairarapa Connection in 2007. The carriages were British Rail Mark 2 carriages, imported from the UK, which were re-gauged and refurbished for the Tranz Metro services. They replaced the NZR 56-foot carriages built between 1937 and 1943.

In 2008, several DM/D class units were reintroduced to assist on peak services. Six BR Mark 2 were partially refurbished and introduced for express peak services, top-and-tailed by two refurbished EO class electric locomotives. The locomotives, built in 1968, were used in the Otira Tunnel until its de-electrification in 1997. An additional locomotive has been refurbished for backup.

Three diesel-electric locomotives are used to haul the Wairarapa Connection services, allocated weekly from KiwiRail's locomotive pool. Since 2007, most of the services have been hauled by selected members of the DC class that have been fitted with driver-operated carriage door controls.

In 2010, 48 new MEM/MET "Matangi" class EMUs will be introduced to increase capacity and replace the remainder of the DM/D class EMUs. The Jounsonville Line was upgraded in 2008 and 2009 to accommodate the EM/ET and the Matangi units.

Most of the current fleet is owned by KiwiRail. The SE and SW class carriages, as well as the new Matangi units, are owned by Greater Wellington Rail Limited, a subsidiary of the Greater Wellington Regional Council. Greater Wellington Rail leases the rolling stock to KiwiRail to operate on the Tranz Metro network.

[edit] Current rolling stock

Class	Type	Number	Seats	Routes operated	Introduction
EM/ET class Ganz Mavag	electric multiple unit	44× 2-car sets	148	Paraparaumu Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line Johnsonville Line (from 2010)	1981-1982
DM/D class English Electric	electric multiple unit	9× 2-car sets 5× 3-car sets	132 (2-car) 204 (3-car)	Johnsonville Line (2-car) Paraparaumu Line (3-car) Hutt Valley Line (3-car)	1949-1954
EO class	electric locomotive	3	-	Paraparaumu Line Hutt Valley Line	2008
SE class	passenger carriage	4× SE class 1× SEG class 1× SES class	64 (SE class) 37 (SEG/SES class)	Paraparaumu Line Hutt Valley Line	2008
DC class	diesel-electric locomotive	3	-	Wairarapa Line	1978-1980
SW class	passenger carriage	12× SW class 3× SWG class 3× SWS class	64 (SW class) 37 (SWG/SWS class)	Wairarapa Line	2007
AG class	luggage carriage	1	-	Wairarapa Line	2007

[edit] Future rolling stock

Image	Class	Type	Number	Seats	Routes operated	Introduction
	MEM/MET class Matangi	electric multiple unit	48× 2-car sets	149	Paraparaumu Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line Johnsonville Line	2010

[edit] Former rolling stock

Image	Class	Type	Number	Seats	Routes operated	Introduction	Withdrawal
	EW class	electric locomotive	7	-	Paraparaumu Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line Johnsonville Line	1952	1988
	NZR 56-foot carriage	passenger carriage		up to 56	Paraparaumu Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line Johnsonville Line Wairarapa Line	1937-1945	1988 (all except Wairarapa and Capital) 1998 (Capital Connection) 2007 (Wairarapa line)

[edit] Livery

Currently, the major livery for the EM units and some DM units is the "Cato blue" livery. They are royal blue (except for the yellow safety ends) with the Tranz Metro logo on the side. The remainder of the DM units are either painted with a variant of Cato blue, with dark yellow instead of blue, or "carnation red".

The SE and SW carriages are painted in the "Metlink" livery, consisting of navy blue with lime green highlights, and the Metlink logo on the side. The Matangi units will be painted in the Metlink livery, except the majority of the unit will be white.

Locomotives are painted in the KiwiRail livery, or several earlier locomotive liveries.

[edit] Future

Currently, Tranz Metro, rail infrastructure owner ONTRACK, and the Greater Wellington Regional Council, are undertaking a major upgrade of the Tranz Metro network, dubbed the Wellington Regional Rail Programme (WRPP). The $390 million ^[3] programme includes:-

The purchase of 48 two-car electric multiple units, the "Matangi" MEM/MET class, to replace the aging DM/D class units and to increase capacity.
Upgrading the electrification system, which includes refurbishing the overhead lines and poles, and the addition of 12 new substations to increase electrical supply for the new Matangi units.
Upgrading the signalling system, which includes replacing control systems and signal wiring, and hardening the track circuits from interference with the electrification.
Upgrading platforms at several stations to accommodate the new Matangi trains and longer train lengths.
Upgrading the Johnsonville Line to accommodate both Ganz-Mavag and Matangi units, by improving the loading gauge in the tunnels and under some bridges.
Lengthening the three crossing loops on the Johnsonville Line to take longer trains.
Double-tracking the Paraparaumu Line from the current end at Mackays Crossing, through Paraparaumu to just south of Waikanae, to increase line capacity on the Kapiti Coast. (The double track will stop short of Waikanae Station to prevent the added cost of building a second State Highway 1 overbridge and Waikanae River bridge.)
Electrifying the Paraparaumu line north of Paraparaumu station to Waikanae station, to allow commuter services to run to Waikanae.
Adding additional rail storage at Paekakariki and Waikanae for the new Matangi units and the Ganz-Mavag units.
Installing a third, bi-directional, line at Wellington Station to ease congestion in and out of the station at peak times.

Work started on the programme in 2008, and is expected to be completed in late 2010.^[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Interesting facts, Greater Wellington Regional Council.
^ Rail contract approved by Greater Wellington, Greater Wellington Regional Council, 29 June 2006.
^ http://www.gw.govt.nz/story31646.cfm?
^ Wellington Region Rail Programme (WRRP), Ontrack.

[edit] External links

[0] Interesting facts, Greater Wellington Regional Council.

[1] Rail contract approved by Greater Wellington, Greater Wellington Regional Council, 29 June 2006.

[2] ttp://www.gw.govt.nz/story31646.cfm?

[3] Wellington Region Rail Programme (WRRP), Ontrack.

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