For the railway line between Wellington and Woodville, see Wairarapa Line.
Wairarapa Connection
A DF class locomotive hauling SW carriages
Overview
Service type
Commuter rail
Status
Operating
Locale
Wellington Region, New Zealand
First service
1964
Current operator(s)
Transdev Wellington
Former operator(s)
New Zealand Railways Department (1964–1981) New Zealand Railways Corporation (1981–1985) Cityrail (1985–1995) Tranz Metro (1995–2016)
Ridership
705,000 annually (2012–13)[1]
Route
Termini
Wellington Masterton
Stops
10
Distance travelled
91 km (57 mi)
Average journey time
1 hour 40 minutes
Service frequency
Mon-Thu: five each way Fri: six each way Sat, Sun, Public Holidays: two each way
On-board services
Class(es)
Standard class only
Disabled access
Yes, through SWS carriage
Seating arrangements
Airline style and table bay
Baggage facilities
Overhead racks Baggage carriage
Technical
Rolling stock
5× DFB class locomotives 18× SW class carriages 6× SE class carriages 1× AG class luggage van
Track gauge
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map
Legend
91.0 km / 1:42hr[2]
Masterton
89.4 / 1:39
Renall Street
88.1 / 1:36
Solway
(Kurupuni, Purakau)
76.6 / 1:26
Carterton
69.6 / 1:17
Matarawa
65.1 / 1:10
Woodside
(Woodside Junction)
57.2 / 1:01
Featherston
8798 m
Rimutaka Tunnel
38.8 / 0:42
Maymorn
(Mangaroa)
572 m
Maoribank Tunnel
32.4 / 0:35
Upper Hutt
15.5 / 0:19
Waterloo
10.5 / 0:13
Petone
0.0 km / 0:00hr
Wellington
The Wairarapa Connection is a New Zealand interurban commuter rail service along the Wairarapa Line between Masterton, the largest town in the Wairarapa, and Wellington. It is operated by Wellington suburban operator Transdev (with KiwiRail sub-contracted to operate the locomotives) under contract from the Greater Wellington Regional Council. It is a diesel-hauled carriage service, introduced by the New Zealand Railways Department in 1964 after passenger demand between Masterton to Wellington exceeded the capacity of the diesel railcars then used.
The 91-kilometre (57 mi) service operates five times daily in each direction Monday to Friday, three peak and two off-peak, with an additional service each way on Friday nights and two services each way on weekends and public holidays. It stops at all stations from Masterton to Upper Hutt, then runs express along the Hutt Valley Line to Wellington, stopping only at Waterloo and Petone stations.
While most regional passenger trains in New Zealand have been withdrawn (apart from the Capital Connection commuter service to Palmerston North and the Te Huia between Auckland and Hamilton), the Wairarapa Connection service continues due to the Wairarapa's proximity to Wellington and the advantage of the 8.8 km Rimutaka Tunnel through the Remutaka Ranges compared to the narrow and winding Rimutaka Hill Road over them. In the year to 30 June 2013, the service's ridership was 705,000, down slightly from 719,000 in the 2011/12-year.[1] 780,000 used the train in 2019.[3]
^ ab"Wellington Metropolitan Rail 2012/13 Annual Report" (PDF). Greater Wellington Regional Council. 30 June 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
^Based on 4:25 pm and 5:33 pm services from Wellington
^"Wellington Rail Programme Business Case" (PDF). Greater Wellington Regional Council. July 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
and 26 Related for: Wairarapa Connection information
WairarapaConnection is a New Zealand interurban commuter rail service along the Wairarapa Line between Masterton, the largest town in the Wairarapa,...
The Wairarapa (/ˌwaɪrəˈræpə/; Māori pronunciation: [ˈwaiɾaɾapa]), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island...
and on the Hutt Valley Line, Kapiti Line, Melling Branch and the WairarapaConnection since November 2022. Tickets for a single ride can also be purchased...
The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand. The line runs for 172 kilometres (107 mi), connects...
class carriages (WairarapaConnection) 6 SE class carriages (WairarapaConnection) 1 AG class baggage/generator van (WairarapaConnection) Transdev contracts...
(Suburban Wairarapa) type is owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, leased to Transdev Wellington to operate on Metlink's WairarapaConnection between...
electrified Hutt Valley Line to and from Wellington. The diesel-hauled WairarapaConnection stops at Upper Hutt on its route between Wellington and Masterton...
authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Remutaka ranges. It stands...
Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) proposed replacing the Capital Connection and WairarapaConnection trains with 15 four-car bi-mode multiple units by 2025. These...
Other BR Mark 2 carriages operate on the Capital Connection (8× S class), and the WairarapaConnection between Masterton and Wellington (18× SW class)...
Valley Line along the Wairarapa Line via Waterloo and Taitā to Upper Hutt. A diesel-hauled carriage service, the WairarapaConnection, connects several times...
Zealand, and is the southern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. The station opened in June 1937, replacing...
Remutaka Range, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line. The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 November 1955, is 8...
designed to accommodate 9-car DM/D EMUs. Exceptions to this include the Wairarapa stations, which have platforms long enough for either 3 or 7 car sets...
Stockholm, Sweden The WairarapaConnection, an interurban commuter rail line in New Zealand The 60th Street Tunnel Connection, a line of the New York...
New Zealand suburb of Petone. It is on the Hutt Valley section of the Wairarapa Line, 10.5 km (6.5 mi) north of Wellington, and is the junction for the...
SWS 64 (SW) 37 (SWG/SWS) WairarapaConnection 2007 SE class passenger carriage 4× SE 1× SEG 1× SES 64 (SE) 37 (SEG/SES) Wairarapa Line Kapiti Line (former)...
provide and operate the diesel locomotives required to haul the WairarapaConnection service. Suburban rail passenger operations in Auckland and Wellington...
of Upper Hutt, in New Zealand’s North Island. It is served by the WairarapaConnection, and sees five services each way Monday to Thursday, six on Friday...
quicker western route. Accordingly, the Wairarapa Mail was introduced to provide Wairarapa residents with connections to Wellington, Manawatū, and the Hawkes...
Solway. Masterton station is the terminus for WairarapaConnection passenger services on Metlink's Wairarapa Line from and to Wellington. The average journey...
the station yard. The Wairarapa Line runs through the site and the station also serves as a stop for the WairarapaConnection passenger train. The impetus...
Palmerston North and Wellington (the Capital Connection), Masterton and Wellington (the WairarapaConnection), and from April 2021 between Hamilton and...
station building houses a ticket office from which fares for the WairarapaConnection service are sold. Goods have not been consigned from Featherston...
Flyer. The Wairarapa is physically separated from Wellington by the Remutaka Range. Connections to Wellington are made by the WairarapaConnection train from...
Global Information
