The Bay Express was a passenger train between Wellington and Napier in New Zealand's North Island, operating from Monday, 11 December 1989[1] until Sunday, 7 October 2001.
The trains consisted of two modular guards vans converted into power-luggage vans with 11 kW petrol generators at the handbrake ends (one from Mitsubishi, Japan, the other from Daewoo, Korea) and three 1930s-built NZR 56-foot carriages, one a former red Picton/Greymouth car extensively rebuilt into a servery and rearview observation car with 24 seats, arranged alcove-style around tables.
The seats were Addington Workshops-built and installed in this car for the Picton/Greymouth runs, reupholstered with a slight alteration made to facilitate more comfort on the head and neck.
All seats were reupholstered and the interior decor altered to match the other cars, and the new "Cato blue" paint scheme applied on the exterior.
[1] Unlike the TranzAlpine and TranzCoastal services, the Bay Express primarily relied upon local point to point traffic and as a result, was placed under increasing pressure by the continued real drop in airline ticket prices over the 1990s, and the price of owning and operating private cars.
Following significant changes in management within Tranz Rail, a bottom-up review of the business indicated that the Bay Express was not a financially sustainable service.
Subsidies from the central government or other bodies were not forthcoming, and despite protests against cessation and proposals on how to improve ridership, the cancellation of the Bay Express was announced, effective 8 October 2001.