Classic route
Capital Connection
Palmerston North → Wellington · New Zealand
The Kāpiti Coast’s own express: one morning run to Wellington under Paekākāriki’s escarpment, home again each evening since 1991.
- Distance
- 136 km
- Fastest time
- 2 h 15 min
- Average speed
- 60 km/h
- Top speed
- 100 km/h
How this line was checked
- Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 1597602: the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 3 m from it
- The operator publishes this line's timetable: KiwiRail, a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
- See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it
Questions and answers
How long is the Capital Connection?
The Capital Connection runs 136 km from Palmerston North to Wellington.
How long does the Capital Connection take?
The fastest scheduled journey is 2 h 15 min for the 136 km. That is an average of 60 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 100 km/h.
Who runs the Capital Connection?
KiwiRail, with refurbished loco-hauled carriages.
How old is the Capital Connection?
The line has been in service since 1991. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
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