TranzAlpine Train Journey: de Christchurch a Greymouth

Although it was a exceptionly cold morning and a railway line snapped due to the cold I can find no excuse for a train left overnight to "freeze" at the Springfield station where we were to resume our Alpine Express to Greymouth, eventually was unable to proceed as the water used through out the engine and carriages was unable to be thawed intime to proceed to Greymouth! Although a bus was provided to finish the journey the experience by rail was lost as well as a monetary loss $ 239 by train , $91 by bus!

book early and possible do more in Greymouth as it is an area well worth staying in pancake rocks , shatty town , local history sites

Great view all the way. However a bit hard to take nice photos due to the reflection on windows. Crews are friendly. Recommended to other travellers

Amazing views, staff were absolutely lovely! A great way to see the countryside & suitable for all abilities. Only downer was the onboard coffee - not so great.

Beautiful journey through still-wild lands Beautiful scenery throughout the trip Great experience, worth doing

We did the Scenic Plus tour Christchurch to Greymouth. The weather was not great, misty rain most of the way. Very cold on the open viewing carriage. The poor weather conditions were more than compensated for by the fantastic food and friendly service provided by our host Jasmine and chef Sammy. The Scenic Plus fare is significantly more expensive but we'll worth the extra for the overall experience. We picked up a rental car and drove back to Christchurch via SH73 to complete a very memorable day.

My wife and I had the most amazing time about the Tranzalpine. We did a return journey (Christchurch to Greymouth and back again) in the same day, in the scenic 'plus' carriage. It was one of the best travel experiences of my life, a truly once in a lifetime experience. The views all day were jaw dropping, the service and food in our carriage was top notch (thank you in particular to Jasmine). I could not recommend the experience highly enough.

This was a fantastic introduction to the wonderful South Island of New Zealand. We traveled from Christchurch to Greymouth on a glorious sunny day. The only downside of that was the sun shining too brightly on the RHS of the train when we were trying to take photos of all the wonderful scenery we passed. The trip is just over 4 hours and there is a couple of stops; you can stretch your legs at Arthurs Pass and get off the train for a photo opportunity. The seats are very comfortable with heaps of room and a fold down table in the back of the seat in front. There are plenty of attentive staff and the cafe car was well utilised on our trip as it had a good variety of hot and cold food and drinks. The open air train carriage is great for photo taking although it is closed at times when it is unsafe to be in the carriage in tunnels etc. We thought the 4 hours might drag but we couldn't have been more wrong. We spent the whole trip ogling the views...mountains, fields, tunnels, rivers, valleys...it had it all. We didn't take the premium option which offers seats in a dedicated carriage and offers a lunch. We feel that that would detract from the whole scenic experience. This train trip was the best way to travel this pass. Highly recommend.

The trip from Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth was cancelled. I am still waiting for a refund for half the trip.

Excellent train journey. Stunning scenery all the way. Arthur's Pass stop was cute. The staff were very good. Decent cafe-restaurant car with reasonable prices. Seats are spacious and comfortable. Mobile device charging points for each seat. Book early as the train was booked to capacity. Check in larger bags. The check-in at Christchurch railway station is good. The collection point at Greymouth takes time. Be patient. The travel overview on the train itself is informative and useful. Do visit the open-air carriage (wearing a jacket). Relax and enjoy. Great little train trip, that takes half a day.