Coastal Pacific is the name the train was known as from late 1980s until ‘TranzRail’ rebranded the name to TranzCoastal in 1997 to fit their own corporate identity.
“The intention of the name change is to give the Coastal service a lift and an identity of its own, so it can come out of the shadow of the better known TranzAlpine service,” says KiwiRail’s Chief Executive Jim Quinn.
Mr Quinn says that while the decision to suspend the service following the Christchurch earthquake for almost six months was a difficult one, it minimised financial losses during the low season. He says KiwiRail has always been focused on resuming the service on 15 August, as promised.
“We know this rail journey is well regarded internationally and is a tourist attraction, and we have always wanted to provide confidence for our staff and the public and be part of the upswing in passenger numbers for the summer period and for Rugby World Cup.”
The new identity won’t be the only injection of life the service will receive, with the new AK purpose built scenic carriages being introduced on the line later this year.
KiwiRail’s Hillside Workshop is busy completing the new carriages, which feature 52 square metres of glass in panoramic side and roof windows, ceiling mounted HD screens, GPS triggered commentary in a choice of five languages, and new café cars.

City.Mobi
Also in New Zealand today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Christchurch.
City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Christchurch.city.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.