OUR ORIGIN STORY

#SaveOurTrains

We started out in early 2022 as #SaveOurTrains, a campaign to save the Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific from being replaced by roving rail cruises. This would have effectively meant the end of scheduled services between Auckland and Wellington and Picton and Christchurch.

A small group of affected passengers came together under the #SaveOurTrains banner to protest the suspension of services and advocate for a national plan for passenger rail taking into account economic growth, social connection, and climate impact.

The campaign grew quickly. Within a few short months, more than 10,000 people had signed a petition and the #SaveOurTrains effort was featuring international and local media.

The trains were returned to the tracks in September 2022. But with threatened cuts to Te Huia and the Cook Strait ferries, there is still plenty to save! #SaveOurTrains lives on as a campaign of The Future Is Rail.

#SaveOurTrains Media

Last train standing: 'We can’t ride trains that aren’t running'

With KiwiRail’s decision to ‘pause’ the country’s last remaining long-distance passenger routes, NZ’s plans to reduce transport emissions are deeply compromised.

07/02/2022 | Newsroom | Full article

Road to rail: Can NZ get back on track with trains?

Young people growing up in Aotearoa today likely don’t know how connected New Zealanders used to be by passenger train.

07/03/2022 | 1 News | Full article

Spectacular axed train gets a second lease on life

The Northern Explorer's same-day city to city services have been saved after a campaign by locals.

05/07/2022 | Sydney Morning Herald | Full article

View an extensive archive of media about The Future Is Rail and Save Our Trains.