Wairarapa Connection

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While most regional passenger trains in New Zealand have been withdrawn (apart from the Capital Connection commuter service to Palmerston North and the Te Huia between Auckland and Hamilton), the Wairarapa Connection service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]