Great Journeys New Zealand has launched the first-of-its-kind refurbished premium train carriage for Scenic Plus service providing passengers a new travel experience on the TranzAlpine Scenic Train Journey.
The event was held at Addington station where local councillors, tourism representatives and special guests joined members of the Great Journeys and KiwiRail teams.
“The innovative carriage is the icing on the cake for this world-class rail experience. Its stylish interiors, comfortable seating configurations, and large panoramic windows enhance the experience of travelling through some of the world’s best scenery,” Adele Wilson, KiwiRail Chief Customer and Growth Officer said.
The new carriage will provide Scenic Plus Service passengers a rail experience which showcases New Zealand’s landscapes, stories and paddock to plate flavours. The journey will be brought to life with host storytelling combined with a new infotainment onboard digital app providing GPS-triggered storytelling.
The unique dining experience focuses on the ‘paddock to plate’ concept. “With an entire kitchen carriage dedicated to our Scenic Plus manuhiri (guests), our meals are prepared by our culinary experts and served in the new Plus dining carriage – truly one of the most unique dining experiences to be found in Aotearoa,” Adele Wilson said.
Over three years have been invested in crafting the exquisite and meaningful interior of the new carriages. The coiling bird design is representative of the manuhiri (guests) onboard, and the ‘guardian’s eye’ sculpture acts as a guardian for those on the journey.
The new carriage is available on the TranzAlpine train journey and as further carriages are completed, Great Journeys will be adding this immersive sensory experience across all of its rail experiences.
TranzAlpine Train is one of the world’s great train journeys, covering 223 km (139 miles) one-way and taking just under 5 hours. The train runs coast-to-coast through the ‘Great Divide’ and the indomitable spine of mountains that partitions New Zealand’s South Island. The route runs from Greymouth in the east to Christchurch in the west, crossing the great New Zealand mountain hikes at Arthur’s Pass.
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