Tranz Metro

Tranz Metro
Background
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	1938 (electric trains introduced)
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, part of KiwiRail, is the operator of Metlink suburban trains owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council in the Wellington Region of New Zealand.

Tranz Metro operates the five-line 154-kilometre (96 mi) Metlink network, fanning north out of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, as far as Waikanae in the west and Masterton in the east. On average, 800,000 trips are made on Metlink trains each month. It claims 95% on-time performance for services arriving within 5 minutes of their schedule.

History

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. The rail operations were renamed CityRail after they were transferred to New Zealand Rail Limited in 1991. That year the Auckland Regional Council bought the Auckland CityRail fleet and contracted New Zealand Rail to run it, extending the contract until 1993 and then again for 10 years until 2003.

In 1993 New Zealand Rail Limited was privatised and renamed Tranz Rail in 1995, with CityRail rebranded Tranz Metro. Tranz Rail did not bid for the Auckland contract when it expired in 2003.

As part of management changes at Tranz Rail, the company split Tranz Metro into two limited liability companies - Tranz Metro Auckland Limited and Tranz Metro Wellington Limited on 15 December 2000. The two companies were created as a wholly owned subsidiaries of Tranz Rail, but the intention was to sell Tranz Metro. Stagecoach New Zealand and GWRC announced their intention to bid for the Wellington company, but both were barred by the Commerce Commission from doing so.

Australian-based Connex (later renamed Veolia) won the contract, and took over Tranz Metro's Auckland operation from 23 August 2004.

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.

In October 2009 Cabinet agreed on a Metropolitan Rail Operating Model, which requires the operating contract to be "contestable". This is in line with Auckland's rail contract, which is operated for Auckland Council by Veolia Transport.

An agreement signed in July 2011 transferred ownership of the region's station buildings formerly owned by KiwiRail, excluding Wellington Railway Station, to the Greater Wellington Regional Council, along with the D/DM class and EM/ET units. KiwiRail retains ownership of the tracks, platforms, traction and signalling systems. The assets were valued at $107,541 million. Ownership of the fleet transferred on 1 July 2011 to Greater Wellington Rail Ltd, formed by Greater Wellington Regional Council in 2006.

Operations

Map of the Metlink network, operated by Tranz Metro.

Metlink trains are operated under contract from GWRC, which subsidises the operation and owns the station buildings 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. 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.

Upgrades

In 2008-2011 KiwiRail and GWRC undertook a major upgrade of the Metlink network, dubbed the Wellington Regional Rail Programme (WRPP). The $390 million program included:

• The purchase of 48 two-car electric multiple units, the "Matangi" FP/FT class, to replace the aging DM/D class units and to increase capacity.
• Upgrading the electrification system, which includes refurbishing the overhead lines and masts, 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 Kapiti Line from Mackays Crossing, through Paraparaumu to just south of Waikanae, to increase line capacity on the Kapiti Coast. (The double track stops short of Waikanae Station to avoid the cost of building second bridges over State Highway 1 and the Waikanae River.)
• Electrifying the Kapiti Line from Paraparaumu north to Waikanae.
• Adding additional stabling storage at Paekakariki and Waikanae for the new Matangi units and the Ganz Mavag units.
• Installing a third, bi-directional, line into Wellington Station to ease congestion in and out of the station at peak times.

Work started on the programme in 2008, and was largely completed in February 2011.

Services

Metlink network

Legend 91.0 Masterton 89.4 Renall Street 88.1 Solway 76.6 Carterton 69.6 Matarawa 65.1 Woodside 57.2 Featherston 55.4 Waikanae 48.3 Paraparaumu 38.8 Paekakariki 38.8 Maymorn 32.4 Upper Hutt 31.3 Wallaceville 30.4 Pukerua Bay 29.4 Trentham 28.2 Heretaunga 26.8 Silverstream 24.5 Plimmerton 23.7 Manor Park 23.2 Mana 22.0 Pomare 21.9 Paremata 20.6 Taita 19.5 Wingate 18.3 Naenae 17.7 Porirua 16.5 Epuni 16.2 Kenepuru 15.5 Waterloo Interchange 14.9 Linden 14.4 Woburn 13.8 Tawa 13.5 Melling 13.1 Redwood 12.5 Ava 11.9 Western Hutt 11.9 Takapu Road 10.5 Petone 10.5 Johnsonville 9.2 Raroa 8.0 Khandallah 7.2 Box Hill 6.9 Simla Crescent 6.0 Awarua Street 5.2 Ngaio 4.9 Crofton Downs 4.8 Ngauranga 2.6 Kaiwharawhara 0.0 Wellington

The Metlink 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 are 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 Metlink lines, from west to east, are:-

Line	Abbr.	Colour on map	Between Wellington and	Length (km)	Travel time (approx; min)	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.
Kapiti	KPL	Green	Waikanae	55.4	60	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.

Rolling stock

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

Electric locomotive-hauled trains 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 have been 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 in 1998, and the Wairarapa Connection in 2007. They are British Rail Mark 2 carriages, imported from the UK, which were re-gauged and refurbished. 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. Due to mechanical issues and the availability of new rolling stock, the EOs were withdrawn from service in 2011.

Three diesel-electric locomotives are used to haul the Wairarapa Connection trains, allocated weekly from KiwiRail's locomotive pool. Most of the trains have been hauled by members of the DC class, although more powerful DFT or DX class locomotives may also be used, especially on peak and weekend trains.

In 2011/12 48 new FP "Matangi" class EMUs will be introduced to increase capacity and replace the remainder of the DM/D class EMUs. The Johnsonville Line was upgraded in 2008 and 2009 to accommodate the EM/ET and the Matangi units.

Current rolling stock
Image	Class	Type	Number	Seats	Routes operated	Introduction
	EM/ET class Ganz Mavag	electric multiple unit	43× 2-car sets	148	Kapiti Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line	1981–1982
	FP class Matangi	electric multiple unit	21× 2-car sets	149	Kapiti Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line Johnsonville Line	2011 – 2012
	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) Kapiti Line (3-car) Hutt Valley Line (3-car)	1949–1954
	SE class	passenger carriage	4× SE class 1× SEG class 1× SES class	64 (SE class) 37 (SEG/SES class)	Kapiti Line Hutt Valley Line	2008
	DC class	diesel-electric locomotive	3	-	Wairarapa Connection	1978–1980
	SW class	passenger carriage	12× SW class 3× SWG class 3× SWS class	64 (SW class) 37 (SWG/SWS class)	Wairarapa Connection	2007
	AG class	luggage van	1	-	Wairarapa Connection	2007
Future rolling stock
Image	Class	Type	Number	Seats	Routes operated	Introduction
	FP class Matangi	electric multiple unit	27× 2-car sets	149	Kapiti Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line Johnsonville Line	2011-12
Former rolling stock
Image	Class	Type	Number	Seats	Routes operated	Introduction	Withdrawal
	EO class	electric locomotive	3	-	Kapiti Line Hutt Valley Line	2008	2011
	EW class	electric locomotive	7	-	Kapiti Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line Johnsonville Line	1952	1988
	NZR 56-foot carriage	passenger carriage		up to 56	Kapiti Line Melling Line Hutt Valley Line Johnsonville Line Wairarapa Connection	1937–1945	1988 (except Wairarapa and Capital Connection) 1998 (Capital Connection) 2007 (Wairarapa Connection)

Livery

Currently the major livery for the EM units and some DM units is the "Cato blue" livery with yellow safety ends and the Tranz Metro logo on the side. The remainder of the DM units are painted in "carnation red".

The SE and SW carriages are in Metlink livery, consisting of navy blue with lime green highlights, and the Metlink logo on the side. The Matangi units are in Metlink livery, with the majority of the unit unpainted stainless steel.

Locomotives are painted in KiwiRail or earlier liveries.

Future

There is currently a campaign to extend electrified commuter services to Otaki Railway Station, following a recent extension of the Kapiti Line to Waikanae.

See also

• Rail transport in New Zealand
• Public transport in Wellington
• List of Wellington railway stations
• List of rapid transit systems

External links

• Tranz Metro
• Metlink
• KiwiRail