The Capital Connection

The Capital Connection is a long distance passenger operation of Tranz Scenic, formerly known as KiwiRail. Tranz Scenic is a private railway transportation company in New Zealand.

About the Capital Connection

The Capital Connection is a long distance railway passenger service in New Zealand, which runs from Palmerston North to Welliington. The services of the Capital Connection are available from Monday to Friday.

The Capital Connection serves the North Island in New Zealand. It started its operations in 1991. At the time of its inception, the name of the service was the Cityrail Express. At that time, the sides of the coach had “Cityrail Express Palmerton North – Wellington” displayed. For around 10 years, the Capital Connection was run by Cityrail, the erstwhile Tranz Metro. Since 2001, Tranz Scenic has been running the Capital Connection.

The Capital Connection does not run on public holidays.

Facilities offered by the Capital Connection

The Capital Connection offers the following services to the commuters:

• Seating arrangements – Airline pattern and recess with table

• Class(es) - Standard class only

• Observation facilities - Big windows in all coaches

• Catering facilities – Café/restaurant on the train

• Luggage facilities - Overhead shelves and luggage coaches

The big windows of the Capital Connection ensure that you don’t miss out the stunning sights of the amazing landscape of New Zealand. The seating arrangements of the Capital Connection are cozy. The buffet coach of the train adds more value to the services of the train.

Since the Capital Connection is a well-admired passenger service in New Zealand, there is no assurance that you will get a seat. Prior booking is recommended. Timetable and fare are subject to change. School passes and Tranz Metro tickets are not valid on the Capital Connection. Nevertheless, commuters can utilize the Capital Connection tickets for availing services of Tranz Metro.

You can buy tickets from a ticketing agent or from the train manager on the train at the time of your trip.

Fare for the Capital Connection

The fare for the Capital Connection is as follows:

• Adults one way fare is NZ$24

• Children one way fare is NZ$12

Ten trip fare is NZ$194 and monthly fare is NZ$581.

Timetable for the Capital Connection

The detailed timetable for the Capital Connection is given below:

• Palmerston North departure - 6.20 am

• Shannon departure - 6.42 am

• Levin departure - 6.55 am

• Otaki departure - 7.15 am

• Waikanae departure - 7.26 am

• Paraparaumu departure - 7.35 am

• Wellington arrival - 8.21 am

• Wellington departure - 5.17 pm

• Paraparaumu departure - 6.06 pm

• Waikanae departure - 6.14 pm

• Otaki departure - 6.29 pm

• Levin departure - 6.56 pm

• Shannon departure - 7.09 pm

• Palmerston North arrival - 7.29 pm

The Capital Connection Stations

The Capital Connection stops at the following stations:

• Palmerston North

• Shannon

• Levin

• Otaki

• Waikanae

• Paraparaumu

• Wellington

Ticketing Agents for The Capital Connection

If you want to book your journey on the prestigious Capital Connection, then you can contact the following ticketing agents:

• Waikanae Station – Open before the Capital Connection reaches the station

• Palmerston North Information Centre – The Square, Palmerston North

• Tranz Metro – Paraparaumu Railway Station and Wellington Railway Station