The Capital Connection runs twice daily week days between Palmerston North and Wellington. Photo: Supplied
The unveiling of five newly refurbished carriages at Wellington train station today marked a new beginning for the Capital Connection.
The train service runs twice a day during the week between Palmerston North and Wellington, also bringing commuters from up the Kāpiti Coast into the capital city.
Government funding of $26 million has guaranteed the future of the service, which many people have fought hard to keep.
Horizons Regional Council's Ged Shirley was at the unveiling and on behalf of his community thanked the government for funding the Capital Connection's upgrade.
"Up till now, if you talked about the Capital Connection, the word was 'survival'. The last 15 years on and off has all been about 'will we have a train next year'."
He told the crowd that securing the future of the train service had been essential for the growing Manawatū-Whanganui region.
"This is just a point in time and actually a launch pad to something way more exciting, which is going to be multiple services a day on a brand new set of rail stock."
Five carriages have been upgraded with a sixth carriage set to be added in September to support an anticipated increase in passengers.
More carriages are currently being upgraded locally at KiwiRail's Hutt Workshops with 11 in total eventually able be to be used.
Transport Minister David Parker said the refurbished carriages would tide the service over until brand new hybrid trains were brought onto the network within five years.
"These new, refurbed coaches increase the quality of what people can use but also the quantity."
The next step, once the hybrid trains arrived, would be increasing the number of Capital Connection services, Parker said.
In terms of what the newly-fitted carriages actually look like inside, they are warm, comfortable and quiet.
They are refurbished with new seats, carpets, tables, bathrooms and a cafe with barista coffee sold on board.
Wheelchair access is available and a special area to store bikes has been included.
People can also expect the ride to be much smoother than before with improved suspension across the carriages.
KiwiRail's Tracey Goodall said she was pleased to be able to offer a more comfortable service to commuters.
"We're connecting close to 500 trips a day on our two services, bringing people from Palmerston North, Shannon and Ōtaki to Wellington, the capital in the morning and to go home in the evening."
Green Party transport spokesperson Julie-Anne Genter said her party campaigned hard to save the Capital Connection and was glad to see Wednesday's milestone.
But she hoped to see the government work towards making public transport more affordable.
Currently a one way ticket from Palmerston North on the Capital Connection is $35.
"The government has the ability to invest in the services so people can pay lower prices for the fares," Genter said.
"That's essential if you want to have a truly accessible transport network that gives people more choices."
The new Capital Connection carriages will be in service from next Monday.
However, the train will not stop at Shannon because the height difference between the new carriages and the existing platform is a safety risk.
KiwiRail said work to raise the platform at the Shannon stop would be completed within the next few months.