This is what happens when a 21st century suburban network is short on trains! A beautiful set of red English Electric EMUs (including some cars from as early as 1949) skirt the edge of Wellington Harbour with an afternoon peak service to Upper Hutt. The two cars furthest from the camera (christened 'Phoenix') re-entered service in 2008 after being brought out of storage, the three car set in the middle ('Cyclops') was restored to near original condition by Tranz Metro for regular peak use, and the two closest cars ('Red Robin') have been borrowed back from Ferrymead Heritage Park, near Christchurch! All three sets are in heritage red livery, however due to modern safety requirements the fronts have been painted yellow. All English Electric sets are due to be withdrawn later this year.
Trains on 3' 6" (1.067m) track from Whangarei to Bluff with virtually heritage rebuilt EMD and GE locomotives still the mainstay power. The network was privatized in 1990's and operated by Toll until 2008 when state owned KiwiRail was established.
