Several more trips on the steam engine Ka 942 have been cancelled today after the train failed to arrive in Dunedin this morning.
Taieri Gorge Railway operations manager Grant Craig said Ka 942 was scheduled to come down from Christchurch on Wednesday night, but maintenance problems meant its arrival had to be delayed until today.
Mr Craig believed there may have been a glitch in the paperwork.
The train was supposed to be towed on the overnight freight train but rail staff in Christchurch did not attach the steam train to the freight run.
It is now expected to arrive at 8.30pm tonight, he said.
Consequently, eight trips to Sawyers Bay scheduled for yesterday and today have had to be cancelled.
"It's rather depressing. This is two days we've had to cancel.
"We've been planning this for a long time - it's very depressing.
"We thought about putting diesel engines on to do the shuttles, but they do not embody the essence of the Steam Festival.''
Mr Craig said extra carriages containing an extra 180 seats would be attached to the steam train tomorrow, which would give enough capacity to take those passengers who had missed out in the past two days.
