Travelling with us
Explore our timetables
You'll find our New Zealand train timetables below for our Northern Explorer, Coastal Pacific, and TranzAlpine trains.
If you wish to travel with us, then you should book in advance. Our trains are seating only, and we are not able to take walk-on passengers once the train is fully booked.
Checking in
If you are already booked, then please ensure you view the relevant station page for your departure. There you will find directions and check-in information. Please note that check-in times and procedures vary from station to station.
Checking arrivals
If you are meeting someone who is on the train, then you can call 0800 ARRIVALS to check the latest arrival times.
We recommend allowing for minor delays, as our railways travel through rugged terrain with unpredictable weather and heat affecting travel times.
Northern Explorer timetable
Northern Explorer Auckland to Wellington trains depart southbound on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
Northern Explorer Wellington to Auckland trains depart northbound on Friday, Sunday, and Wednesday.
Coastal Pacific timetable
The Christchurch to Picton train service runs northbound in the morning, while the returning Picton to Christchurch train runs southbound in the afternoon.
Coastal Pacific is a daily seasonal service and runs from 1 September to 30 April. It does not operate in winter from 1 May through to 31 August. It also doesn't run on Christmas Day.
TranzAlpine timetable
The TranzAlpine travels between Christchurch / Ōtautahi and Greymouth / Māwhera daily, but it will not run on Christmas Day or around Labour Weekend.
In 2027: It is not running at Easter (26-29 March), 22-28 May and 25-28 September, Labour Weekend (23-26 October) as well as Christmas Day.