New Zealand's most scenic rail journey | The TranzAlpine | Christchurch to Greymouth

Video Description

The TranzAlpine is New Zealand's most famous train, crossing the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth on the West Coast. Find out whether the train lives up to its venerable reputation. In this video, I'll show you what the Scenic Class carriages are like, check out the food and drink options from the onboard cafe and enjoy the views from the open-air viewing car. Of course, the scenery is the main act including a spectacular river gorge, towering viaducts, high mountain plains, braided rivers and pristine mountain lakes, en route to the West Coast. The TranzAlpine is widely considered one of the world's great train journeys, covering 230 kilometres and taking just under 5 hours. Starting in Christchurch, the journey crosses the expansive Canterbury Plains on the South Island Main Trunk line (SIMT). At Rolleston, the TranzAlpine turns north onto the Midland Line. Following an ancient Maori trail through the mountains that was later plotted by engineer Arthur Dobson, it is the Midland Line's passage through the Southern Alps that astounds the senses. The railway line between Springfield and Arthur's Pass is considered a masterpiece of railway engineering. The Otira Tunnel marks the transition from Canterbury to West Coast. The weather is typically wetter on the west side - and the scenery is noticeably more vibrant. The views of Lake Brunner and the heritage station at Moana are not to be missed. TranzAlpine timetable and fares: https://www.greatjourneysnz.com/tours-and-trains/scenic-trains/tranzalpine-train/ 🚉 Train: The TranzAlpine 🚉 Operator: Great Journeys of New Zealand (parent company: KiwiRail) 🚉 Locomotive: New Zealand DX class (DXC 5195 and DXC 5454) 🚉 Seat: Car B, Seat 6D (window) 🚉 Route: Christchurch - Arthur's Pass - Greymouth (Midland Line) 🚉 Distance: 230km 🚉 Travel time: 4 hours 50 minutes (scheduled) 🚉 Class: Scenic Class 🚉 Travel date: 6 November 2022 EQUIPMENT: 🚉 Cameras: GoPro Hero 10, GoPro Hero 8, iPhone 12 Pro Max, Panasonic HC-VX1 Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and overview 01:09 - Christchurch Railway Station and check in 02:33 - Boarding and seat review 04:19 - Departing Christchurch and train composition 05:14 - Route overview 06:13 - Cafe and breakfast 07:48 - Crew announcement and Waimakariri River gorge 09:32 - Patterson’s Creek Viaduct 11:02 - Staircase and Broken River viaducts 12:53 - Slovens Stream Viaduct and Mount Binser 13:48 - Open air viewing car and Lake Sarah 16:44 - Waimakariri River Rail Bridge 17:33 - Cora Lynn and mountain views 19:45 - Arthur’s Pass 21:13 - Otira Tunnel and toilet tour 23:28 - Otira 25:16 - Taramakau River and Lake Poerua 27:22 - Lake Brunner and Moana 30:30 - Lunch 32:13 - Stillwater and Brunner Mine historic area 34:00 - Fares and schedule 36:28 - Arriving in Greymouth 38:44 - Final thoughts and video preview Music I use Artlist for high quality, licensed audio. If you sign up using my referral link below, you will get two extra months for free. https://artlist.io/Adam-3542584 Credits and sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TranzAlpine https://www.greatjourneysnz.com/routes/tranzalpine/ https://www.seat61.com/tranzalpine-train.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Line,_New_Zealand https://www.engineeringnz.org/programmes/heritage/heritage-records/midland-railway/ https://www.engineeringnz.org/programmes/heritage/heritage-records/otira-tunnel/ https://www.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=556c4a9c73914fe1983529ddf9ae5099 Video attributions: The Great Journeys of New Zealand Photo attributions: Assorted including thumbnail: The Great Journeys of New Zealand Waimakariri River Bridge / Stair Case Viaduct By Zureks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TranzAlpine_bridge_by_Waimakariri_River.JPG Moana Railway Station photos Photo by itravelNZ® https://www.flickr.com/photos/65041041@N08/8205299326 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moana_Station_2018-01-10.jpg By Tomiĉo via Wikimedia Commons Wildman NZ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moana_333.jpg Map of Waimakariri River https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NZ-Waimakariri_R.png By Grutness The Waimakariri River with the Southern Alps in the background, Canterbury, New Zealand. Photograph by Greg O'Beirne https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waimakariri03_gobeirne.jpg Follow me on social media: https://www.instagram.com/_fromthewindowseat/ https://twitter.com/adamgjoyce https://facebook.com/adamjoycetravels #kiwirail #greatrailjourneys #trainreview #greatjourneysnz