share in non-bulk areas as well. Freight on the North Island Main Trunk line between Auckland and Palmerston North saw an increase of 39% in freight volumes between 2006 and 2007. The five daily trains on the 667 km line reduced truck volumes on the route by around 120 per day. A 2008 study by the Ministry of Transport predicted that by 2031 rail freight volumes would increase to 23 million tonnes per annum or 70% on the 2006–2007 financial year. In 2018 the same report found freight levels had increased by 17% between 2007 and 2012. Long-distance passenger services As of June 2022, there are only three long-distance passenger routes: the Capital Connection between Wellington and Palmerston North, the TranzAlpine between Christchurch and Greymouth, and Te Huia between Hamilton and Auckland Strand. Dunedin Railways operates tourist trains out of Dunedin, with frequent services on part of the former Otago Central Railway line and occasional services north from Dunedin to Palmerston. This service was mothballed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since restarted with a reduced timetable. Mixed trains were "once the backbone of the New Zealand railway passenger system" on branch and even main lines, but the last scheduled mixed train ran between Whangarei and Opua on 6 June 1977. With a "rake of assorted wagons" and one or two passenger carriages, often listed as "goods with car" in timetables, they were slow, often stopping and shunting wagons en route. In the 1930s they ran from Christchurch to Springfield on the Midland Line, and into the 1950s overnight between Christchurch and Dunedin. On the North Island Main Trunk they ran during the day while the expresses ran at night. On the Okahukura-Stratford Line they lasted to the early 1970s. In the 1950s and 1960s, most provincial routes had railcar and locomotive-hauled passenger services. In 1965, 25 million passengers travelled by rail; by 1998 the number had decreased to 11.7 million. A number of services came to an end in the early 2000s, including the Waikato Connection between Hamilton and Auckland, the Kaimai Express between Auckland and Tauranga, the Geyserland Express between Auckland and Rotorua, the Bay Express between Wellington and Napier, the Southerner between Christchurch and Invercargill and the Northerner night service between Auckland and Wellington. Two further long distance scheduled passenger services, the Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific ended their services in December 2021. On