The Times November 2019 A journal of transport timetable history and analysis

RRP $4.95 Inside: Tasmanian PTTs Incl. GST Stirring the Possum in Kiwiland Busy Hamilton Snapshot of The Times A journal of the Australian Timetable Association Inc. (A0043673H) Print Publication No: 349069/00070, ISSN 0813-6327 November 2019 Vol 36 No. 11, Issue No. 430 The Times welcomes all contributions. Our Authors’ Guide is available on our web-site at https://www.timetable.org.au/ Reproduction Provided a Creative Commons acknowledgement is made, material appearing in The Times may be reproduced anywhere. Disclaimer Opinions expressed in our magazines are not necessarily those of the Association or its members. Editor Geoff Lambert 179 Sydney Rd FAIRLIGHT 2094 NSW email: [email protected] The Times is posted in full colour to our website https://www.timetable.org.au/times.html, two months after publication in paper and to the National Library website 6 months after publication. Colour PDF versions of previous issues of our magazines are available on the ATA website

—Contents— Victor Isaacs TASMANIAN RAIL PTTs 3 James T Wells KIWI RAIL’S NEW TRAIN STIRS THE POSSUM 7 Geoff Lambert BUSY HAMILTON 9 Geoff Lambert A SNAPSHOT OF AUCKLAND IN THE PEAK 11

Welcome to “The Islands” edition of The Times. Herein we deal with a 110 year history of Public Railway Timetables in Tasmania and three articles which deal with 2019 timetable matters in the Hamilton-Auckland axis of New Zealand’s North Island. Superficially dissimilar now, there has previously been a great deal of commonality in railway management of these two systems. This commonality stems largely from the so-called “Commissioners’ Conferences” set up before Australian Federation. New Zealand Railways were always an Executive member of this body, which later became “Railways of Australia”.

In the first decade of the twentieth century, when railways systems of Australasia plunged enthusiastically into cooperative arrangements, all Australian States and NZ signed up to the idea of uniform management, uniform rule books, standard Working Time Tables, uniform General Appendices, uniform Departmental structures and much else. The enthusiasm began to wane around the time of WWI, when Queensland and South Australia veered away. Tasmania and NZ remained true to the ethos until about 1943, when the practices of the latter began to diverge. In Tasmania’s case, the divergence did not become total until the Commonwealth took over in the 1970s.

All three NZ articles benefited greatly from the sage advice and in-depth knowledge of Andrew James.

2 The Times November 2019 Tasmanian Rail PTTs The late Victor Isaacs

ALCH’S TASMANIAN the preceding year. timetables of the Emu Bay Railway (EBR) did not appear until 1902—and ALMANAC was first Walch’s included corporate even then only gave times for Burnie, W published in 1863 and information about the Launceston and Waratah and Zeehan. Timetables for continued annually until 1979. It Western Railway (L&WR) in the 1871 the Mt Lyell Mining and Railway contained comprehensive details of all edition, but the 1873 edition was Company (MLMR) lines and North aspects of Tasmanian public life. My probably the first to publish the actual Lyell Copper Company first appeared interest in it arises from its excellent L&WR timetable. The Tasmanian in 1910, but only gave times for their practice of including a railway Main Line Railway (TMLR) timetable termini. To work out that you could timetable. appeared from 1876 and additional travel from Burnie to Queenstown in a Tasmanian Government Railway Being only an annual publication, day you would have had to consult (TGR) 1067 mm gauge lines were Walch’s provides only a rough guide successively EBR, TGR Zeehan – added gradually from 1886 as they to when alterations to services were Regatta Point and MLMR timetables. opened. On the West Coast, the TGR- made. On the other hand, it is From 1924, the North Lyell entry owned lines (Strahan – Zeehan and NE accessible, because runs of Walch’s merely said that log train and rail Dundas) and TGR-operated line are fairly common in major libraries. motor ran at irregular intervals; they (Zeehan –Dundas – Maestris) By comparison with WTTs, the times ceased altogether from 1928. in Walch are from circa November of appeared from their opening, but the

The Times November 2019 3 From 1929, station lists were given for Queenstown. Only Guildford, quite a number of pages; thereafter, it some TGR lines, but with a note that Rosebery and Zeehan stations were declined in size. Walch’s Tasmanian goods trains ran only as required listed. Almanac ceased to include the railway (initially Apsley, Preolenna, Melrose, timetable after the 1951 issue. It still An exception to the completeness of Nietta and Dundas). The Marrawah included lists of stations (including the the TGR timetable section is that from Tram appeared from 1930, but Walch EBR) for a few more years. Fares and 1894 to 1899 the following defeatist identified only Leesville, Redpa and conditions of travel on Tasmanian notice appeared: Marrawah stations. It later added railways continued until Walch’s itself Salmon River, but never clarified that ‘MAIN LINE – SUBURBAN ceased 26 years later. this was on a branch line. The Apsley SERVICE: This Time Table is omitted Another private publishing venture line reappeared from 1941 to 1947 on account of the following memo was the Tasmanian Steam Navigation with two rail motor trips on Fridays from the office of the General Company’s Time Table and Guide to only. The Apsley entry was copied Manager of Tasmanian Railways Tasmanian Railways etc. etc., In 1996, direct from the WTT and included a [Frederick Back]:-“Alterations in the Navarine Publishing produced a dagger symbol (†) to indicate staff running of the local trains are being facsimile of the June 1888 edition. No stations and a “W” to indicate loco constantly made, and the inclusion of doubt, the original was also published water supplies! this portion of the time tables could on other dates. not be other than misleading to the Mt Lyell and Emu Bay ceased to public.”’ Another long-running private appear in Walch’s after 1938. Emu timetable venture in Tasmania – also Bay reappeared in 1947 with a note In the 1920s, the TGR reached its published by Walch’s - was Moore’s that there were road connections from maximum size and consequently the Guide. This was a pocket/purse size Guildford to Waratah and Zeehan to timetable portion of Walch’s occupied

4 The Times November 2019 booklet. It mainly comprised 1950s this included in summary form pages! However, I will immediately timetables of Hobart local transport – Hobart – Launceston – Burnie – qualify that by saying that the page trams and buses, but also included Smithton, New Norfolk, St Marys, size was small, 4 x 6 inches, and many suburban railway timetables. It lasted Herrick and Roland, but not the West pages were blank other than saying from 1935 to 1977. It was originally Coast TGR and private trains. It also “Notes”. So, how were the other pages titled Moore’s Monthly Guide, but it included the main bus routes between filled up? There were many pages of dropped the “Monthly” when Hobart and the north and north west, advertisements, of tourist information publication became less frequent – but neither any urban nor regional bus and general rules. I do not know how perhaps from some time in the 1950s. services confined to the northern half typical this edition is of TGR of the state. timetables in general in this period. Jim Stokes published a detailed summary of the circa December 1953 In the 1900s, the Tasmanian Railways These were attractive publications Moore’s Guide in The Times for published a Monthly Pocket Time aimed primarily at the tourist market. August, September and October Table, but I do not know any further They included more detail than in 2005 . The September 1976 issue of details. The Government Railways of Walch’s (e.g. full station listings for Moore’s may have been the last, Tasmania Official Time Table and all West Coast lines except Mt Lyell, because MTT Hobart commenced General Information from 15th which gave Queenstown and Regatta publication of its own timetable book December 1937 is an example of a Point only). They were published in January 1978. later series of timetables of which dated 4 May 1914, 18 Oct 1926 [an there were probably about 13 between edition that once sold for $1500 at a Traditionally, Moore’s covered all the wars, including at least one Leski auction—Editor], 5 September public and private trains and buses in suburban book. Amazingly for such a 1927, 24 December 1931, 12 southern Tasmania, all TGR country small system, the timetable was of 150 December 1932. 1 November 1934, 24 trains except the West Coast. In the

The Times November 2019 5 February 1936, 15 December 1937, Limited which also summarised other assistance with Tasmanian timetable July 1941 (the last an abridged one, country services. It also published information. which noted that there was a separate cardboard foldout timetables for suburban folder) and 1 March 1943. Hobart suburban trains in the early Comment on this article – Letter to the [The 1934 edition—at least– included 1970s. The TGR also produced Editor, Facebook. Return to Contents a fold-out map– Editor]. There must broadsheet suburban and country Page have been many others. I do not know timetables (separate sheets) for display if any were published post World War at stations. This remained so until the Two [at least 6 up to 1970 - Ed.] end of suburban trains in 1974 and country passenger trains in 1978. In the mid 1950s, the TGR published foldout brochures for the Tasman Thanks to Jim Stokes for much

Hobart-Launceston Express

EBR Motor at Waratah

6 The Times November 2019 Kiwi Rail’s new train stirs the Possum James T Wells with help from Andrew James

Auckland Hamilton rail service slammed for only going to Papakura EPTEMBER’S TABLE TALK Transport campaigners are disappointed the new Hamilton-Auckland rail service will reported that KiwiRail is to take longer than it does to drive between the two cities. The $92 million service, which S introduce a twice daily service will start mid-next year, will see four trips a day between the two cities - two there and from mid 2020, connecting Hamilton two back. It will go from Frankton in Hamilton, stop at The Base and Huntly, and end in and Auckland. south Auckland's Papakura, where passengers will be expected to get on Auckland's transport network if they need to go further. Hamilton is a town of about 240,000 Campaign For Better Transport (CBT) spokesperson Graeme Easte said while it's a people located 140 rail km south of "positive" step to have rail links established, it could have been done better. "The trip time at Auckland on the North Island Main around two-and-a-half hours is longer than the trip times of services of previous services Trunk (NIMT) railway. For some running between Hamilton and Auckland," because passengers going to the central city years it enjoyed regular air services will have to transfer at Papakura. across the Tasman to Australia. A previous service which operated nearly two decades ago went right up to Newmarket. It was cancelled when operator Tranz Rail decided to exit the passenger rail market and Of particular interest is that the new couldn't find a buyer. It was reported only 30 people a day were going from Hamilton to service will only run between Auckland. Since then, Auckland's train network has switched to electric, while the Frankton (Hamilton) and Papakura, Hamilton-Auckland service will initially run on diesel. the terminus of Auckland’s electrified The CBT also criticised the new service's lack of stops. "The service also does not stop at suburban . This is Tuakau, Pokeno or Te Kauwhata. These towns have experienced substantial population growth in recent times and many of the new residents work in Auckland and would controversial locally [see right]. appreciate a public transport alternative that would get them to work." Those places are Papakura is 33 km from Auckland via earmarked for future stops, if it's a success, as is the airport potentially in the long-term. the . Interchanging there Hamilton City Council growth and infrastructure committee chairman Dave Macpherson said the long-term aim is to get the new service "all the way to Britomart" in the Auckland will not be popular with Hamilton CBD. "We're determined to get this started, get people to start using rail as a reasonable passengers (especially for the evening alternative." He told Newshub at the weekend Auckland's congestion gets further south Down service), who will have to do every year, and this will relieve some of it and give Aucklanders priced out of the housing battle with suburban ones to get market another option. seating in Auckland. The Waikato Regional Council estimated last year by its third year of operation, more than 100,000 people would use the new service annually. This situation is similar to the NSW Yayyy!!! Hamilton-Auckland rail service final funding approval received from NZTA just (Australia) Southern Highlands now....The Tron and the Waikato have been campaigning for this for 12 years, and thanks service, where passengers change to Transport Minister @PhilTwyford and a lot of hard work from all Councils + between diesel and electric trains at KiwiRail, we got there! Campbelltown or Macarthur. At least the Southern Highlands gets one through train in each direction on weekdays – currently this arrives at more centrally-located Britomart While Britomart serves New Zealand’s Central at 10:34 and departs at 16:00. Transport Centre was opened in 2003. largest city as its long distance The magnificent station building is terminal, there is no longer platform There would appear to be three main now an apartment complex. capacity for continued operation, and reasons why the Papakura transfer the cost of expensive ventilation and would be proposed: Britomart is no longer a suitable exhaust extraction systems for diesel terminus for a “country” diesel hauled 1. The unsuitability of Auckland’s The power is uneconomical to maintain for service. Currently the only regular use Strand station for a commuter four services a day, given that the of The Strand is for the Northern service. Platforms are located one and a half Explorer train which runs to stories below mean sea level. 2. Congestion / slow running on the Wellington three times a week. suburban lines. 2. Turning now to congestion on the The difficulty is that The Strand is suburban lines, a key issue is the over half a kilometre from Britomart 3. Achieving “commuter” times for the intended arrival time in Auckland. The and isn’t served by a suburban railway contra direction services. market will probably want an arrival station. The bus service in The Strand no later than 9 am. Taking each of these in turn. (the street that gave its name to the 1. Auckland’s is a station) operates only half hourly. The peak hour service from Papakura remnant of the station built in 1930, as Almost certainly if the Hamilton is every ten minutes or so from 0554 Auckland’s railway terminus— commuter service were to terminate at to 0914, taking around 50 minutes replacing the first station where The Strand, a dedicated connecting with all trains stopping at every Britomart lies today—see picture, bus service to the CBD would be station. Any “country” express service page 15. This station was, in turn needed. included with this would be very slow. made virtually redundant when the The Times November 2019 7 To access The Strand station, a Hamilton train would use the Eastern line. This also has a ten minute all stops service in the peak. The Eastern line branches off the Southern after Otahuhu to take a more northerly route into the CBD. Eastern line trains start at the branch terminus of Manukau and join the Southern at Puhinui – see the diagram below. They therefore share the Southern line as far as Otahuhu—resulting in this segment of track having a nominal five minute service in the peak. All junctions on this corridor are flat, so one could say that this section of line is near congested in the peak hour. Further, the Network Access Agreement 3. My third consideration is about the diesel locomotives are not allowed a between (on contra peak direction service, i.e. maximum speed greater than 100 kmh. behalf of Transdev), and KiwiRail as Down in the morning, Up in the So turning the train around at the Network Access Provider, afternoon. Papakura provides the opportunity for provides two paths per hour in both This issue is well illustrated by the a “business” friendly contra peak directions during peak periods for Western Australian “Australind” service. KiwiRail Freight services, and these service connecting Perth with Bunbury paths are indeed used. This also Papakura station has a multi platform which uses only one train set. The explains the seemingly uneven setup (see above) so probably won’t morning Up arrives Perth at 0830, the clockface timetable at Papakura and require alteration to facilitate the Down leaves at 0930 to arrive Manukau during peak periods, to interchange of Hamilton passengers to/ Bunbury at 1155. This gives day provide space for these Freight from suburban trains. It already deals visitors less than three hours there Services. with interchanges with the Pukekohe because the afternoon Up leaves at diesel services. It really would be quite impractical to 1445. run a Hamilton service in the peak via Hamilton has a frequent coach service The running time of a Hamilton the full Southern line once regard is to Auckland; with some services service from Auckland would be had to Onehunga and operating via Auckland airport and similar to the “Australind” based on services sharing the track, not to one or two taking less than two current times. This mention the junction near Britomart to hours—far quicker than the train. train is allowed 94 minutes for the 105 access The Strand. Essentially, the km from Hamilton to Papakura, which Auckland Electrified Network is Comment on this article – Letter to the is hardly record breaking. The track is operating near capacity, which the Editor, Facebook. Return to Contents double and easily graded, but the track will help (but not Page gauge is “Cape” (1,067 mm) and completely) improve.

8 The Times November 2019 was thoroughly sick of them. Seven Busy Hamilton were withdrawn, two were scrapped, leaving 13 available for service. Geoff Lambert, with help from Andrew James Twelve were in service during September, but that is not enough to AMILTON, A JUNCTION Hamilton is the junction for the East cover the NIMT rosters, which are station on New Zealand’s Coast Main Line (ECML), which has still largely dieselised. never been electrified, but it is also H Thus, there are several patterns of (NIMT) railway is a busy place, with the northern terminus of the on-again, some 321 scheduled trains per week. off-again NIMT electrification. As train use here: Only six of these are passenger trains such I expected that traction changes  Through freight traffic on the but, if the proposal described by Jim occur here—but, by and large, they NIMT Wells in the previous story comes to don’t. KiwiRail had a fleet of 22 now-  Through freight traffic on the pass, this will rise to 34. geriatric EF class locomotives and ECML

Train Traffic at Hamilton from the 22-Sep-2019 Master Train Plan. (part 1)

The Times November 2019 9 yard and Fonterra Cool Store is just  Terminating and originating freight always seems to be heaps of what north of the junction at Crawford traffic looks like gravel in the yard. Local Street beyond the Te Rapa  Through passenger traffic. Mainline Shunts (M30, M52 and Marshalling Yard and Locomotive … soon to be joined by … M90) feed into these through trains, Depot, not far from the Racecourse,  Passenger shuttle traffic and other movements are arranged as but the majority of bulk cargo (mainly required. The terminating and originating trains dairy-, forestry- and steel-related) Comment on this article – Letter to seem to be a mixture of bulk and focus on the Port of Tauranga and the Editor, Facebook. Return to container. The combined intermodal Mission Bush Steel Mill. There Contents Page

Train Traffic at Hamilton from the 22-Sep-2019 Master Train Plan. (part 2)

10 The Times November 2019 Snapshots of Auckland in the peak hour Geoff Lambert, with help from Andrew James

T IS 0454 AT WIRI, a “Once were Warriors” kind of rail I location in South Auckland that was reputed to have the lowest patronage on the Auckland system when it was closed in 2005. It still seems quiet this August 9th 2019 morning (right), despite the presence of a new inland container terminal, managed by Ports of Auckland nearby. But there is yet life and it is stirring inside Metro’s new stabling facility, where up to 28 three-car AM sets can be housed. First train out of the blocks is E501 Empty, the first leg of run 11. Wiri at dawn At Wiri North at 0502, it becomes Train #4200, and heads north through of New Zealand, consists of three capacity, the upgrade and Manakau (0511 to 0517), where it modes: bus, train and ferry. Services electrification of the rail network and makes a right onto the Eastern Line are coordinated by Auckland Transport the introduction of integrated ticketing and ends up at Britomart at 0556. under the AT Metro brand. Britomart through the AT Hop Card. These Things are also stirring at the Transport Centre is the main transport efforts have led to sustained growth in Henderson (0459), Strand Junction and hub. ridership, particularly on the rail network. Between June 2005 and Papakura (0452) stabling yards. Within Until the 1950s Auckland was well November 2017, total ridership the hour, some 30 trains will be served by public transport and had high increased from 51.3 million boardings trundling along, to be joined by 20 levels of ridership. However, the per annum to 90.9 million, of which more by 7AM. The maximum is dismantling of an extensive tram over 25 million boardings are now by reached at between 8 and 9AM system in the 1950s, the decision by Rail. Prior to 1993, the system carried although you could hardly call the flat- William Goosman to not electrify fewer than 2 million! topped graph below a “peak”. Auckland's rail network, and a focus of There are four “lines” on the Auckland transport investment into a motorway Despite those strong gains, the overall suburban system: system led to the collapse in both mode share of travel in Auckland by public share and total trips. By the 1990s transport is still low. At the 2013  Eastern Auckland had experienced one of the census, about 8% of journeys to work  T03 Southern sharpest declines in public transport were by public transport and per capita  T04 Western ridership in the world, with only 33 ridership in 2017 of around 55  T05 Onehunga trips per capita per year. boardings is well below that of Wellington, Sydney, Melbourne and Three of these lines are shown in the Patronage on Auckland’s ailing Perth. map that accompanies Jim Wells passenger rail network only started to article in this issue. A more show signs of improvement (albeit Auckland's rapid population growth geographically-based map appears on slowly initially) through the fortuitous means that improving the city's public our rear cover. acquisition of 10 ADC/ADL, and 9 transport system is a priority for Auckland Metro (AM) ADB/ADK class railcars from Perth, Auckland Council and the New WA, following the electrification of Zealand Government. Major The Public Transport system in that system, in 1993. improvements planned or underway Auckland, the largest metropolitan area include the City Rail Link, extending Since 2000, a greater focus has been the Northern Busway to Albany, 60 placed on improving Auckland's public Auckland Metro Peak Hour construction of the Eastern Busway transport system through a series of 50 between Panmure and Botany and a projects and service improvements. light rail line between the city centre 40 Major improvements include the and Auckland Airport. 30 Britomart Transport Centre, the

20 Northern Busway, the progressive An earlier operator of the train network No of Trains running introduction of the British Rail Mark II in Auckland was Tranz Metro. When 10 loco hauled fleet to provide additional the Auckland Regional Council called

0 0500 0600 0700 0800 0900 1000 1100 1200 The Times November 2019 11 Line Frequency Calling at Notes for tenders for the new contract, Tranz Britomart, Orakei, Meadowbank, Metro did not tender and Connex won Eastern Glen Innes, Panmure, , the tender. , 3 tph Line Otahuhu, Middlemore, , formerly Veolia Transport Auckland, Puhinui, Manukau Ltd., and before that Connex Auckland, Britomart, Parnell, Newmarket, Ltd., is a Transdev Australasia company. It runs Auckland's urban Remuera, Greenlane, Ellerslie, passenger trains under contract from Southern Penrose, Otahuhu, Middlemore, 3 tph Auckland Transport on infrastructure Line Papatoetoe, Puhinui, Homai, owned and managed by KiwiRail. Manurewa, Te Mahia, Takanini, Auckland Transport receives funding Papakura to subsidise these services from the NZ Southern Transport Agency, which receives Diesel shuttle Line funding from road user taxes and connecting with (Papakura 2 tph Papakura, Pukekohe Crown appropriations, and from the service to/from Auckland Council through rates. –Puhekoh Britomart e shuttle) Stations and Tracks Britomart, Parnell, Newmarket, A track diagram of Auckland, taken Grafton, Mount Eden, Kingsland, from the 4th Edition of the New Morningside, Baldwin Avenue, Western Trains reverse at Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas, 3 tph Mount Albert, Avondale, New 1993 appears below. The network has Line Newmarket. Lynn, Fruitvale Road, Glen Eden, been almost totally renewed since then Sunnyvale, Henderson, Sturges – the modern layout at the critical Road, Ranui, Swanson station of Newmarket is shown on p13. Britomart, Newmarket, Remuera†, Onehunga Auckland Station, as shown on these 2 tph Greenlane†, Ellerslie, Penrose, Te charts, was made redundant when the Line Papapa, Onehunga station at Britomart once again became tph = trains per hour the main station. † station served at evenings only

Class Type Top speed Number Carriages Routes operated Built km/h AM class EMU 110 57 3 Eastern, Onehunga, Southern (Papakura), Western 2013–15 ADL/ADC class DMU 90 10 2 Southern Line (Papakura–Pukekohe) 1982–85

12 The Times November 2019

The 1993 map showed some peculiarities. Most notable of these was the arrangements at Newmarket. Wikipedia has this to say about Newmarket: The historical configuration of the station forced some unusual movements. Trains from the city had to run past the junction to call at the station. There were two platforms in an island configuration, and all city-bound trains stopped at one platform, outbound trains stopping at the other. This was confusing as the outward-bound platform served both the Southern and Western Lines. This problem was The Times November 2019 13 partially solved by 'splitting' the platform into two: Southern Line trains stopped at the southern end of the platform, Western Line at the northern end. This practice became less prevalent following the higher frequency of the July 2007 timetable. [Thereafter] trains used whichever platform was free, and could arrive without any indication of destination. Off-peak operations usually followed the traditional practice, but during the peak this was not practical. For many years outbound Western Line trains reversed into a special siding, which allowed them to enter the Western Line. Integral to the recent redevelopment was the requirement to reorganise the track layout. The new station has twin islands and three tracks [diagram, page 13]. Each island has two platforms, although currently Platform Two is not in use for passenger services. Generally Platform One serves westbound services on the Western Line. Platform Three serves Britomart bound services on all three lines (Western, Onehunga and Southern), while Platform Four serves southbound services on the Onehunga and Southern Lines. Western Line trains reverse direction to leave the station, requiring the driver to get out and walk to the other end of the train The Timetables embedded in runs of three trains per and adding two to three minutes to hour off-peak. “Up” and “Down” The Table on page 12, taken from frequencies are generally identical each trip. Wikipedia, gives some idea of the off- throughout the day. Rolling Stock peak frequency of services, but not much idea of frequency during the Similar rush hour frequencies occur Transdev operates the following peak. If we look closely at the in the evening peak, which runs from rolling stock: “inbound” pages of Auckland PTTs 3PM to 6PM. (page 13), we find that:  57 AM three-car EMUs (built by Both KiwiRail (track owner) and CAF) running on all lines since full  T05 (Onehunga) has a 30 minute Transdev (train operator) publish electrification in July 2015 (except service day in/day out and thus no Master Train Plans. The former is in a Papakura - Pukekohe shuttle). “peak”. format similar to the KiwiRail timetable shown in the previous  10 ADL/ADC two-car DMUs (ex  The situation for T03 is not so easy article. The latter resembles the PTT, Transperth) owned by Auckland to see in the PTT because of the but has extra information, including Transport. However only six are “interleaved working” to the run number, the train number and serviceable, the remainder having accommodate the Pukekohe the roster (zigzag) for each set. been cannibalised for parts. Three are connection and the Freight paths; needed each weekday. however it operates with three trains The train number, in classic 4-digit per hour, rising to six per hour form, carries the following The AM class wear the Auckland during the peak. The diesel shuttle to information: Transport livery, and the ADL class Pukekohe operates with three trains wear the MAXX livery. The car sets The first digit indicates the route an hour during peak, dropping to are permanently-coupled and can be (there are 9 different routes); the two per hour off peak. driven from either end. More than 1 second digit the line (there are 7 set may be coupled together at times—  The Eastern and T04, operate with because routes in the afternoon may mainly for “Empty” placement trips. six trains per hour in the peak, have a different number); the third and fourth digit form an individual 14 The Times November 2019 AMP185

AMP469 AMP578

AMP321 AMP456

AMP281

AMP172

number indicating the direction of looked down on the GTFS data AM sets had had their go. Three hours travel (even numbers Up, odd numbers superimposed on a Google Earth base later, they all revved up again to run Down). NZ must be unique in the way map of 29th April 2019, I could see 52 the afternoon peak. it defines Up and Down services: Up of the 57 AM sets, plus 3 ADL sets Comment on this article – Letter to the trains run Up the map towards the strung out like beads on wires all over Editor, Facebook. Return to Contents North Pole, Down trains run down the the system (our page 14). Zooming in Page map towards the South Pole. closer to the CBD (this page, upper left), I could see 16 trains, with six of On Fridays (the busiest day), there are 4227 8:12 them hovering around Newmarket. some 88 different runs, which 1028 8:12 complete some 690 trips, about 90 of At Britomart, at the same moment in which are “Empty” placement trips. It time (this page, upper right), seven 8130 8:14 seems that car sets out of a particular trains were hanging about in the 4222 8:16 depot in the morning, return to that vicinity. I was able to see that the sets 1035 8:18 same depot at night. at or near Britomart were as shown by the labels on the Google Earth map. 8121 8:18 All sets report to Train Control via These were all AM sets—ADL’s do now-common systems and the reports 6111 8:20 not venture into Central Auckland end up as real-time GTFS. There is anymore, and have in fact lost their 4229 8:22 also a tracking system called Gevis, accreditation to do so. similar to that used by several 1030 8:22 Australian rail systems such as ARTC. If all trains were running to time, the This is not publicly available. trains at Britomart were probably drawn from the trains in the arrival/ What The Butler Saw departure table at right. At 0815 on 9th August 2019, when I By lunchtime on August 9th, 55 of the

Strand Junction

Former Auckland Station

The Times November 2019 15 Rear Cover, images only, no Master Page