Darren Davis

Great to see Gold Coast light rail stage 3 really starting to take shape with 60+% of the track and overhead catenary in place and many of the stations well under construction. Should be fully open from Broadbeach South to Burleigh Heads by mid next year.

At the just opened Pimpama Station on SE Queensland’s fast growing Northern Gold Coast. This is the first of three new Gold Coast Line stations to open, to be followed by Hope Island and Merrimac in 2026.

In Brisbane developments, a pic of the beginning of the installation of the Cross River Rail Albert Street Station canopy.
When I moved to Brisbane nearly two years ago, the station was still below ground level so it’s great to see it getting close to its final form.

Fremantle Line train to Freo - lots of stuff to do there.
Yanchep Line train to Glendalough then bus to Scarborough Beach
Fremantle Line train to Cottlesloe - then walk to the beach to see how the rich live.
Ferry to South Perth from Elizabeth Quay
Kings Park & Northbridge near the city centre

My latest blog post looks back at a tough year for passenger rail patronage in Aotearoa but looks forward to a much brighter future.

Anatomy of the Swiss Revolution How Switzerland Engineered Itself into Becoming the World's Greatest Transit Nation

Switzerland is “rich in something vanishingly rare in the rest of the world: common sense. This is most apparent in the way the Swiss get around…a model of sensible, sustainable — and yes, even enjoyable — transit. It’s simply the best transportation system in the world.” Via @taras-grescoe.com

Pictured are the mid to late evening country train departures from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station. Something we can only dream about in Aotearoa with our apparent obsession with covering our beautiful country with asphalt.

Stoked to be one of the Kiwi urbanists/ transit nerds on @brenttoderian.bsky.social list of urbanists from outside North America. There are rich pickings of great people to follow on this list so dive on in!

Electrifying the Golden Triangle The Golden Triangle of Aotearoa's Upper North Island is home to 40% of the nation's population with huge flows of people and freight. Electrifying its rail could make a real difference to its mobility

#RailNews: The Golden Triangle is home to 40% of NZ's population with huge flows of people and freight. Electrifying its rail could make a real difference to its mobility

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

Electrifying the Golden Triangle The Golden Triangle of Aotearoa's Upper North Island is home to 40% of the nation's population with huge flows of people and freight. Electrifying its rail could make a real difference to its mobility

In my latest blog post, I delve into KiwiRail's emerging thinking on the electrification of the Golden Triangle linking Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Making Te Huia a permanent service Te Huia's five-year trial is fast coming towards its close on 30th June 2026. What needs to happen to make it a permanent part of Aotearoa's public transport system?

#TrainNews: Te Huia's five-year trial is fast coming towards its close on 30th June 2026. What needs to happen to make it a permanent part of Aotearoa's public transport system?

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

Making Te Huia a permanent service Te Huia's five-year trial is fast coming towards its close on 30th June 2026. What needs to happen to make it a permanent part of Aotearoa's public transport system?

It’s just over nine months until Te Huia’s five year trial comes to an end in mid-2026. There’s lots to be done to secure it as a permanent service between Auckland and Hamilton. Read on for what this involves.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Building towards the new Lower North Island trains We have to wait until 2030 for improved Lower North Island regional train services. What can we do in the meantime to make the existing Capital Connection better?

My latest blog post argues that we need to build the market for the new Tūhono battery electric trains coming into service in 2029 & 2030 by making better use of the existing Capital Connection rolling stock to improve services between Palmerston North & Wellington.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

All about the new Lower North Island hybrid trains Aotearoa is investing $802 million in much needed new hybrid trains for the Lower North Island with a contract awarded to Alstom. Just what does this mean in practice?

#RailNews: Aotearoa is investing $802 million in much needed new hybrid trains for the Lower North Island with a contract awarded to Alstom. Just what does this mean in practice?

Via Adventures in Transitland by @darrendavis.bsky.social: adventuresintransitland.substack.com/p/all-about-...

#TrainNews: Alstom has been selected to deliver 18 five-car battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) trains.

The Train fleet is to be named ‘Tūhono’, meaning connect or unite.

The fleet will be manufactured in India by Alstom and are scheduled to enter service from 2030.

The latest ups and downs of Te Huia Te Huia, the regional train between Hamilton and Auckland, has had its fair share of ups and down. So read on for the latest on Te Huia.

My latest blog post looks at a year in the life of Te Huia, the regional train between Hamilton and Auckland in New Zealand. Here’s hoping that the service becomes permanent when the trial finishes in 2026.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

A public transport trip across the motu We're already just about half-way through 2025, so let's do a recap on public transport happenings across Aotearoa in the past six months.

Join me for a quick trip across the motu of public transport developments in Aotearoa/ New Zealand in the first half of 2025.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Gondola Fever Strikes Queenstown! - Greater Auckland This is a guest post by Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog,

#TransportNews: Like the Otago Gold Rush of the 19th Century, its 21st Century counterpart, the gondola rush, has come to town in Queenstown. What is it and will it work?

By @darrendavis.bsky.social via @greaterauckland.bsky.social: www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2025/06/10/g...

Gondola Fever Strikes Queenstown! Like the Otago Gold Rush of the 19th Century, its 21st Century counterpart, the gondola rush, has come to town in Queenstown. What is it and will it work?

My latest blog post is my take on the recent proposals for urban gondolas as the solution to Queenstown’s traffic woes. Spoiler alert: I’m not a fan.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

All aboard! Te Huia to launch Sunday service KiwiRail is expected to approve the new service in a few weeks, which could see it running by July 20 after regional councillors gave it the all clear.

Great news. Te Huia to launch Sunday service, meaning Aotearoa/ New Zealand will have a single regional train with a public transport focus running every day of the week. www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/3607...

Auckland Transport losing $6 million a year to fare dodgers Figures released under the Official Information Act show most of those fined for free rides also aren't paying up.

In spite of the shouty headline, it costs vastly more in fare enforcement than is collected from fare dodgers. And all that enforcement money would be better spent on improving public transport services rather than fining the few who cannot or choose not to pay.
www.1news.co.nz/2025/05/22/a...

The state of the rails across Aotearoa A quick rundown on the state of the rails across the motu in the lead-up to the 2025 budget on 22 May 2025

#RailNews: A quick rundown on the state of the rails across the motu in the lead-up to the 2025 budget on 22 May 2025

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

I love seeing a scheduled passenger train at Dunedin Railway Station for the four-day trial of a revived Southerner train. But this should be a daily occurrence, not once in a blue moon. #thefutureisrail

The state of the rails across Aotearoa A quick rundown on the state of the rails across the motu in the lead-up to the 2025 budget on 22 May 2025

My latest post looks at the state of the rails across Aotearoa from Te Tai Tokerau/ Northland to Te Wai Pounamu/ South Island. Check it out.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

This is the first time a passenger train has stopped at Timaru Station since the Southerner stopped in 2002. I’m on the short-term revival of the Southerner but really wish it were permanent. #thefutureisrail

Fun public transport facts on Airport to city PT city centre connections (weekday interpeak with smart card):
Christchurch - 3, 8, 29 bus, 8 per hr, $2
Auckland - bus/ train, 6 per hr, $6.25
Queenstown - 1 bus, 4 per hr, $2
Wellington - AX, 4 per hr, $8.76
Brisbane - train, 2 per hr, $22.30

Fares fair in the Sunshine State? 50 cent flat fares have been made permanent for urban public transport networks state-wide in Queensland, Australia. But what has been their impact?

Queensland, Australia is an interesting case study of the impact of super cheap flat public transport fares. Read on for my latest blog post on the subject.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

Fares fair in the Sunshine State? 50 cent flat fares have been made permanent for urban public transport networks state-wide in Queensland, Australia. But what has been their impact?

Queensland, Australia is an interesting case study of the impact of super cheap flat public transport fares. Read on for my latest blog post on the subject.
open.substack.com/pub/adventur...

The secret to making public transport work for suburbia is to make public transport work for suburbanites. This means good bus frequency and long span of bus service, all day, every day. Great case study from Brampton in the greater Toronto area.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trains are packed on these Sydney metro stops in the morning peak An extra 14 trains would need to be ordered by the government to increase frequency to one every three minutes and ease crowding.

Just eight months after its city centre & Sydenham extension opening, Sydney Metro is experiencing significant peak crowding, partly drawn off slower heavy rail services. Will be interesting to see the impact of its Bankstown extension in 2026. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...