It was initially only run thrice weekly in the peak Christmas and Easter period, but by 1902, it ran daily year-round, and in December 1903, dining cars were introduced.
This was a rare feature for trains operated by the New Zealand Railways Department, but shortages during World War I led to their withdrawal.
The introduction of railcars on this route provided a significant improvement in service, operating six days a week on a five-hour timetable.
The introduction of the locomotive-hauled Overlander on the North Island Main Trunk Railway in December 1991 meant that the Silver Fern railcars could be deployed on new services.
On 9 September 1995, a new but very small passenger station operated by the Second Chance Train Trust was opened on the north side of the Lake Road bridge at the entrance to the Koutu freight yard.
[1] A lack of profitability, partly due to poor advertising and marketing of the service,[2] led to the cancellation of the Geyserland Express early in the 21st century.
KiwiRail has also indicated that it would need to see a sound business case for reinstating the train that proves there would be sufficient demand with 120 passengers daily thought to be the number required for the service to break-even.
In September 2006 a joint proposal was put forward to the government by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union and the Green Party, to have long-distance passenger rail services transferred to the government-owned track company ONTRACK (now part of the KiwiRail group) and make ONTRACK an operator, with Toll NZ supplying locomotives and drivers in a "hook and tow" arrangement.
The biggest hurdle facing the reinstatement of the Geyserland Express is that the Rotorua Branch line has been inactive and mothballed since not long after the passenger train's cessation, and although most track remains in place, it will have to be significantly repaired before it can be used again.