🇳🇿 Country
Train routes in New Zealand
8 routes · classic 2 · scenic 3 · heritage 2 · mountain 1
8 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 (2)
- 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 ↗
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 (2)
- 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 ↗
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 8 routes in New Zealand in this atlas.
Are there night trains in New Zealand?
Not in this atlas. New Zealand has 8 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.