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Taking long distance trains to the RWC is not going to be cheap.
Take the Capital Connection train today between Palmerston North and Wellington and it will cost you $24.50 each way. That’s $48 return.
Take the special train to one of the big RWC matches in Wellington and the same trip will cost you $90 return or $59 return for a child.
A single fare Levin to Wellingon is $17.50 on the Capital Connection. $35 return.
Take it for the RWC match and back and it’s $75 for an adult, $49 per child.
Otaki, is usually $31 return. The rugby train will be $60.
RWC train tickets are non refundable and non transferable, and of course exclude the actual game ticket.
Rugby plus travel may get expensive
The special trains are running for Sunday September 11 South Africa v Wales, Sunday October 2, All Blacks v Canada Saturday October 8 and the quarter final on Sunday October 9. The stops are Palmerston North, Shannon, Levin and Otaki to Wellington and return. Details here
The other day AKT reported the special trains between Auckland and Hamilton will be $90 return.
5 Comments
Complete rip-off, I was in Switzerland during the Soccer world cup, the trains ran as normal and all the tickets cost the same as they did usually.
Yes but Switzerlands Railways are not Commercial and more of a public good (like our commuter trains) plus great country as it is - its population density is so much greater in a country the size of lower South Island. I remind people the Capital Connection is a Commercial Service and not a Council subsidised service like the Metro trains in Wellington and Auckland and so has to make a cash profit. Why is that Rail passengers think they should not pay what a service costs and further that an operator shouldn’t make a profit?? You wouldn’t see that for a bus company or airline???
The thing I think is wrong here is the non refundable aspect aspect of the fare on the service whereas KiwiRail can cancel it if they don’t have enough passengers booked. That is grossly unfair and unbalanced in its approach to the customer. The fare should be frefundable up to a certain point in time (say three weeks out).
Giel, the normal CC is a commercial service as well, so doubling the price can’t be justified purely on saying it is a commercial service.
It’s more to do with KiwiRail not wanting to provide regular passenger trains anymore. They are only targeting high end tourist dollars, so have set their fare schedules accordingly, even for trains that don’t target tourists.
KR is essentially pricing passenger trains off the domestic market, which is partly why they seek such a high subsidy for the proposed Waikato train.
The future of passenger rail in NZ lies with other operators.
I agree Geoff, monopoly pricing to support a bloated and oversized business (including overpaid CEOs and other executives) won’t work here, as buses and cars are such an easy (and often cheaper) alternative for customers.
KiwiRail would be better to relinquish its government supported monopoly on passenger services nationally and pave the way for independent, lean, customer focused operators to step in and provide the rail services NZ deserves.
Geoff Running passenger trains is not cheap and yes fares are high here but I don’t think KR are making a killing here. It is strangely ironic that they price up the services here whilst they continue to charge most freight customers including Solid Energy, Fonterra, Mainfreight freight rates well below fully allocated costs. Long distance passenger rail is drawing the short straw but let’s face it bugger all of KiwiRail services generate enough revenue to cover their costs so is it a crime to try make a little bit of a surplus where they can??