Overlander myopia
Posted by Hamish on August 23rd, 2006
Coverage of the the latest passenger rail casualty in New Zealand (we’ve already lost Tauranga - Auckland, Rotorua - Auckland, Napier - Wellington and Christchurch - Invercargill has been enlightening. The Overlander will be axed from the end of September. Most commentators have focused on the end to end journey from Wellington to Auckland, when in fact the service also serves 15 other destinations. And while the end to end journey time at 12 hours is bone-wearyingly long, intermediate trips are more reasonable.
Whatever the merits of keeping the service, it is worth bearing in mind that it serves more than the two end points. Now if only Toll Rail had marketed it that way!
Update: the Overlander has been saved … sort of. It will run three days a week until the Summer when it will revert to a daily service… death of a thousand cuts, or a blocking move to stop other operators running a service on the tracks that are now owned by the Government… time will tell.
January 8th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Very valid point you make, and one I totally agree with.
Having lived in Continental Europe for the best part of 9 years, and most of that in Switzerland and France, I am used to rail services NOT being marketed on begining and end destination, but all points in between. I could never imagine the train from Geneva to Zurich being marketed in that way.
The Overlander, as you point out, should be marketed according to the region it passes through. For example, in Hamilton it should be marketed as the best way to head to the mountains for tramping, or to Auckland for a night out. In National Park it could be marketed as the most scenic service to Palmerston North, Te Kuiti or the like.
Perhaps Toll NZ marketing agency is full of young guns that grew up in the era of flying point to point and have not recognised the potential, or Toll do not really want it to be a success? Either way, I am now at the point of thinking, if Toll does not want the services, Ontrack should take control. Rail is important for New Zealand, just New Zealand does not recognise it yet.
Jon