connected Rangiora with Christchurch and Picton; initially, this service was provided by Vulcan railcars up until 1978, when they were replaced by locomotive-hauled trains. The TranzCoastal, introduced as the Coastal Pacific in 1987 and rebranded as the TranzCoastal in 1995, passed through Rangiora heading north in the morning and south again in the afternoon. The Coastal Pacific scheduled passenger service was discontinued in December 2021. Education The town has several primary schools and two secondary schools. They are: Ashgrove School, a state full primary (Year 1–8) school in the north-west of the town with a roll of students (as of The school opened in 1967. Rangiora Borough School, a state full primary (Year 1–8) school in the centre of the town with a roll of students (as of The school opened in 1873. St Joseph's School, a state-integrated Catholic full primary (Year 1–8) school in the centre of the town with a roll of students (as of The school opened in 1887 as a private school and integrated into the state education system in the early 1980s. Te Matauru Primary, a state full primary (Year 1–8) school in the south-west of the town with a roll of students (as of The school opened in 2020. Rangiora High School, a state co-educational secondary school, which serves Rangiora and the surrounding area, with a roll of students (as of The school opened in 1884. Rangiora New Life School, a state-integrated Christian area school (year 1-13) situated in the Rangiora suburb of Southbrook. The school opened in 1979 as a private school and integrated into the state education system in the early 1990s. It has a roll of students (as of Population growth in the Rangiora area since the mid-2000s, especially following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, saw the town's primary schools start to approach capacity. In response to this, Te Matauru Primary opened in January 2020. References External links Visit Waimakariri Enterprise North Canterbury Rangiora High School Ashgrove School Rangiora Borough School Southbrook School Rangiora Players Rangiora Volunteer Fire Brigade Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand