Intercity Fast-Tracks Production Of Mega Coaches

August 23, 2006

Intercity Fast-Tracks Production Of Mega Coaches To Cope With Increasing Auckland To Wellington Demand

InterCity Coachlines has accelerated the production of two of its Mega Coaches to cope with the increasing demand between Auckland and Wellington.

InterCity has experienced 14 per cent passenger growth between Auckland and Wellington during the 12 months to March 2006 and anticipates that demand will continue to climb with the permanent cancellation of the Overlander rail service.

The coaches were initially due for delivery in April 2007, but will now be on-road from December of this year. InterCity currently runs 16 daily services between Auckland and Wellington, making a possible 208 stops. InterCity provides services that stop at all places the Overlander serviced, with the exception of Middlemore. The new coaches equate to 10,000 additional seats between Auckland and Wellington each year.

“We’re delighted that we’ve been able to fast-track production of the coaches so that Kiwis and tourists have a robust public and tourist transport infrastructure to get around New Zealand,” said Malcolm Johns, Chief Executive at InterCity Group.

On the Auckland to Wellington route these coaches will be able to carry 30 per cent more passengers using 15 per cent less fuel than a standard coach, connecting even more people to various destinations throughout the North Island,” said Mr Johns.

“These coaches are the largest vehicles built in New Zealand for public transport purposes and have the potential to remove 47,000 private motor vehicle journeys from the roads each year,” said Mr Johns.

100 per cent Kiwi owned and operated, InterCity Group has invested more than $16.5 million dollars during the past three years to enhance, maintain and invest in its national tourism and transport infrastructure, which connects more than 600 urban and rural communities. The two new Mega Coaches alone represent an investment of $1.5 million.

At almost 14 metres long and 4.2 metres high, the new double-decker coaches seat 65 passengers each and stand about the same height as three cars stacked on top of each other.

InterCity carries carrying 1.2 million passengers per year, 350,000 of which are international visitors.

ENDS

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