Passengers disembark at the Dunedin Railway Station
yesterday from a train chartered for yesterday's Get the
Train for Car Free Day. Photo by Craig Baxter.
It was a case of back to the future for a group of
commuters participating in Car Free Day yesterday.
City workers and children from the northern coast clambered
aboard a train to get to Dunedin, where work or school
awaited.
The $4000 Waitati-Dunedin charter was organised by rail
advocate group Get the Train.
The each-way fare cost $5, which was subsidised by local
community board and charitable trust grants.
"We usually charter a train into Dunedin on Walk to Work Day
and Car Free Day," Get the Train spokeswoman Danielle
Cameron, of Purakaunui, said.
"We had about 170 people on board. It would have been even
more, except for the snow and rain."
The workers and the pupils from Port Chalmers, Warrington,
Waitati and Purakanui schools received a warm welcome from
mayoral candidates at the Dunedin Railway Station.
The welcome was organised by Enviroschools Otago to highlight
efforts towards more sustainable living, Dunedin City Council
Enviroschools assistant regional co-ordinator Jinty MacTavish
said.
"Enviroschools are always looking for an opportunity to get
involved in the big global picture," she said.
"The Enviroschools programme is about a whole-school approach
to sustainability and encouraging schools towards a more
sustainable model.
"Catching a train to school on Car Free Day is a good example
of that."
The commuter train left Dunedin last night at 5.30 for the
return trip to Waitati.
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