🇳🇿 Country
Train routes in New Zealand
10 routes · classic 3 · scenic 3 · heritage 3 · mountain 1
10 routes cross New Zealand in the World Train Map atlas. The longest is the Northern Explorer at 681 km; the fastest is the TranzAlpine, running up to 100 km/h; the oldest line dates to 1878. Every route links to its facts, photo and story, and to the interactive world map.
Open the world railway map →Classic (3)
- Capital Connection
The Kāpiti Coast’s own express: one morning run to Wellington under Paekākāriki’s escarpment, home again each evening since 1991.
Wikipedia ↗ - Te Huia
Restored intercity rail between Waikato and Auckland in 2021 after a 20-year gap, and went seven-days-a-week in 2025.
Wikipedia ↗ - Wairarapa Connection
Through the 8.8 km Remutaka Tunnel of 1955, New Zealand’s longest until 1978: rebuilt British Mark 2 carriages behind a KiwiRail diesel link Masterton and Wellington five times each weekday.
Wikipedia ↗
Scenic (3)
- TranzAlpine
Coast to coast across the Southern Alps: the Waimakariri gorges, Arthur’s Pass and the 8.5 km Otira Tunnel in one morning.
Wikipedia ↗ - Northern Explorer
Volcano country: the Raurimu Spiral climbs to Tongariro’s plateau, Ruapehu steaming beyond the glass.
Wikipedia ↗ - Coastal Pacific
Pinched between the Kaikōura ranges and Pacific surf past fur-seal colonies, on a line the 2016 quake lifted bodily out of the sea.
Wikipedia ↗
Heritage (3)
- Taieri Gorge Railway
Out of Dunedin’s bluestone palace of a station and into the Taieri’s schist canyon, where wrought-iron viaducts from 1889 still carry every train.
Wikipedia ↗ - Kingston Flyer
A vintage steam service on the old Southland line by Lake Wakatipu, its 1920s Ab Pacific and wooden cars a survivor of New Zealand’s golden age of rail.
Wikipedia ↗ - Glenbrook Vintage Railway
Steam on the old Waiuku branch south of Auckland, run by volunteers since 1977: a 7.4 km line from Glenbrook to Victoria Avenue that carries up to 30,000 passengers a season.
Wikipedia ↗
Mountain (1)
- Wellington Cable Car
Wellington’s red icon since 1902, climbing 120 m from Lambton Quay to the Kelburn lookout — rebuilt as a true funicular in 1979.
Wikipedia ↗
_(53532605708).jpg/500px-Wellington_Cable_Car_(20240206a)_(53532605708).jpg)
Photos via Wikimedia Commons — each route page credits the author & licence
What is the fastest train in New Zealand?
The TranzAlpine, running Christchurch to Greymouth at up to 100 km/h. It is one of 10 routes in New Zealand in this atlas.
Are there night trains in New Zealand?
Not in this atlas. New Zealand has 10 routes here and none of them is a scheduled sleeper, though night trains from neighbouring countries may still reach it.
Can you cross the border by train from New Zealand?
No route in this atlas crosses a land border out of New Zealand. Every line listed here begins and ends inside the country.
Which is the most scenic railway in New Zealand?
New Zealand has 4 scenic or mountain lines in this atlas. The longest is the Northern Explorer, 681 km.