Darren Davis

Total Mobility or Partial Immobility? Total Mobility is Aotearoa's subsidised taxi scheme for people with disabilities. But its name is an oxymoron and proposed changes will only make this worse. Read on for more:

#TransportNews: Total Mobility is Aotearoa's subsidised taxi scheme for people with disabilities. But its name is an oxymoron and proposed changes will only make this worse.

By @darrendavis.bsky.social via Adventures in Transitland: adventuresintransitland.substack.com/p/total-mobi...

Total Mobility or Partial Immobility? Total Mobility is Aotearoa's subsidised taxi scheme for people with disabilities. But its name is an oxymoron and proposed changes will only make this worse. Read on for more:

My latest blog post looks at proposed changes to Aotearoa’s Total Mobility scheme which would make people with disabilities even less mobile.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Holy shit it seems I was too pessimistic. Good news! May we hope it is the precursor to greater news: Te Huia being put on a permanent footing and re-equipped with modern trainsets rather than 40–50yo diesel locos and carriages refurbished to within an inch of their life

Hamilton-to-Auckland train Te Huia trial extended to June 2027 Te Huia has been given an extra year to prove itself.

Great news: The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi board has agreed to extend the trial of the Hamilton-to-Auckland train Te Huia trial to June 2027 at a funding assistance rate of 60%. Its long term future will be decided next year through the long term plan process.
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Rally for rail seeks to retain Te Huia service Advocates of an extension of funding for the Te Huia rail service will make their voice heard at a rally in Frankton on Sunday.

#TrainNews: Supporters of passenger rail are set to gather at Frankton Station on Sunday for a “Stack the Station” rally, as a key funding decision looms over the future of Hamilton’s Te Huia rail link to Auckland.

Via Waikato Times: www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/3609...

Kirikiriroa/ Hamilton folks. It would be great to have a strong show of support for Te Huia this Sunday 2pm at Hamilton Frankton Station. A key decision is coming up in a couple of weeks on extending the trial by another year and your support could help get this across the line.

The Mainlander kicks off I was lucky enough to be on the inaugural Mainlander train from Christchurch to Invercargill. So what was it like? Read on for more...

#TrainNews: Darren Davis was lucky enough to be on the inaugural Mainlander train from Christchurch to Invercargill. So what was it like?

Via Adventures in Transitland via @darrendavis.bsky.social: adventuresintransitland.substack.com/p/the-mainla...

The Mainlander kicks off I was lucky enough to be on the inaugural Mainlander train from Christchurch to Invercargill. So what was it like? Read on for more...

I was lucky enough to be on the inaugural Mainlander train journey from Christchurch to Invercargill. So what was it like? Read on to find out …
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

#TransportNews: From the opening of Nelson’s new bus hub to a new fast ferry trial and everything in between, here's what you might have missed over the break.

Read now: open.substack.com/pub/nztransi...

This is the first time in 24 years that
a scheduled passenger train has stopped at Invercargill Station. The station itself is in rough shape but nothing a bit of tender loving care can’t fix.

Just about to board the sold-out first scheduled passenger train between Ōtepoti/ Southerner and Waihopai/ Invercargill since the demise of the Southerner in 2002. Hoping this becomes a regular thing and not just occasional one-offs.

What's coming up in the North Island in 2026 Tāmaki Makaurau's City Rail Link is the biggie for a 2026 opening but lots of other public transport stuff is underway on the North Island. Read on for more on this...

#TransportNews: Tāmaki Makaurau's City Rail Link is the biggie for a 2026 opening but lots of other public transport stuff is underway on the North Island.

By @darrendavis.bsky.social via Adventures In Transitland: adventuresintransitland.substack.com/p/whats-comi...

A sadly all too rare experience of a passenger train at Timaru. I’m on the inaugural Mainlander train journey from Ōtautahi/ Christchurch to Ōtepoti/ Dunedin.

What's coming up in the North Island in 2026 Tāmaki Makaurau's City Rail Link is the biggie for a 2026 opening but lots of other public transport stuff is underway on the North Island. Read on for more on this...

My latest blog post looks at upcoming public transport developments in Aotearoa/ New Zealand’s North Island in 2026. Spoiler alert: It’s not just City Rail Link in Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

What's coming up in the South Island in 2026 While the opening of City Rail Link in Auckland is likely the biggest public transport story of the year, there's lots more coming up across the motu. Read on for part 1 on the South Island.

#TransportNews: While the opening of City Rail Link in Auckland is likely the biggest public transport story of the year, there's lots more coming up across the motu.

By @darrendavis.bsky.social via Adventures In Transitland: open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

What's coming up in the South Island in 2026 While the opening of City Rail Link in Auckland is likely the biggest public transport story of the year, there's lots more coming up across the motu. Read on for part 1 on the South Island.

My latest blog post looks at what’s in store for public transport in Te Waipounamu/ South Island in 2026. Read on for more:
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Public Transport Development in SE Queensland While SE Queensland has a huge pipeline of rail projects in the works for the 2032 Olympics, there has also been a range of improvements, big and small, in 2025. Read on for more on these.

Lots of improvements happening in south East Queensland’s public transport network, ahead of the really big one which is completion of cross river rail.

Good work by @darrendavis.bsky.social to document this here:

open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Public Transport Development in SE Queensland While SE Queensland has a huge pipeline of rail projects in the works for the 2032 Olympics, there has also been a range of improvements, big and small, in 2025. Read on for more on these.

My latest blog post on the year that was 2025 for public transport developments in South East Queensland where I currently reside.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Vancouver's public transport achilles heel Many things about Vancouver's public transport are pretty awesome. But wider regional connectivity to the Fraser Valley and the Sea to Sky corridor is not one of these. Read on for more on this.

My latest blog post looks at the weakest link of many public transport networks - wider regional connectivity with Metro Vancouver as a case study. Read on for more on this:
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Fate of Hamilton-to-Auckland Te Huia train to be decided next year The Hamilton to Auckland train was launched in 2021 for a five-year trial ending in June next year.

In latest developments for Te Huia, Waikato Regional Council is asking NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) for a 1-year extension of the trial at the current funding rate of 60%. The NZTA board will decide on this at its February meeting. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

The year in public transport in Aotearoa - Greater Auckland This is a guest post by Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Great Journeys of NZ website. I was fortunate enough to be on the first trip and highly recommend it. The scenery be...

Today’s guest post is an early Christmas cracker!

Enjoy this majestical roundup by the mighty @darrendavis.bsky.social of the good news about public transport across the motu in 2025🎄🥝🚊🚍

www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2025/12/16/t...

The year in public transport in Aotearoa It seems to be the season to look back on the year that was so here goes with a retrospective of key public transport developments in Aotearoa this year.

#TransportNews: It seems to be the season to look back on the year that was so here goes with a retrospective of key public transport developments in Aotearoa this year.

Via Adventures in Transitland by @darrendavis.bsky.social: adventuresintransitland.substack.com/p/the-year-i...

The year in public transport in Aotearoa It seems to be the season to look back on the year that was so here goes with a retrospective of key public transport developments in Aotearoa this year.

My latest blog post looks back at the year that was in public transport in Aotearoa. There were quite a number of good news stories so read on for more on this.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Yep, bus is often used as an “alternative” for rail proposals even when the benefits of commuter rail (existing dedicated corridor, absolute priority at grade crossings) are plain for all to see.

Sadly, the only insight was that the steep, mountainous central North Island section of line was chosen for the benefits of electrification in those areas, even though twice the amount of freight was being carried between Auckland and Hamilton.

I've requested the book "Rail Electrification in Australia and New Zealand" from the State Library of Queensland. Hoping that the answer will be therein contained. I will let you know anything that I find out.

Adelaide Public Transport Innovations Adelaide and public transport innovations rarely appear together in a sentence. But there are some noteworthy achievements from South Australia's capital city. Read on for more on this:

My latest blog post looks on the bright side of public transport innovations in South Australia’s capital.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

I've been digging out what I can about this but can't find any definitive explanation as to why only the central section of the North Island Main Trunk line was electrified. But I will keep digging...

Level crossing upgrades not included in new regional train plan Upgrades on some crossings are needed for the regulator to approve more frequent Capital Connection services, but they’re not funded by a $1 billion package.

#RailNews: Rail level crossings between Wellington and Palmerston North will need to be upgraded before new battery-electric trains can run on the Capital Connection.

Via The Post: www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3608...

Adventures in Transitland | Darren Davis | Substack Musings about public transport and other cool stuff in Aotearoa/ New Zealand and around the globe. Click to read Adventures in Transitland, by Darren Davis, a Substack publication with hundreds of sub...

An excellent piece by @Darrendavis.bsky.social on the transformation of Auckland’s bus network.
adventuresintransitland.substack.com?utm_source=n...