and the Minister reported that the railcars were giving "much better service" as a result. Second batch The second batch of 15 railcars was authorised by the government in October 1955, but cancelled in 1956 due to the unsatisfactory performance of the first batch of railcars, in particular, their high cost in repairs and excessive diversion of skilled labour for those repairs, particularly in Auckland. In service In early December 1955, NZR ran a four-day demonstration train from Picton to Invercargill, creating much public interest. After initial trials around Wellington, the railcars were deployed on a wide variety of provincial services. In the North Island they ran: Auckland – Okaihau and Opua (starting 12 November 1956); Auckland – Te Puke (starting 8 February 1959); Auckland – Rotorua (starting 8 February 1959); Auckland – Taumaranui and New Plymouth (starting 26 November 1956); Wellington – Napier and Gisborne (starting 1 August 1955) In the South Island they ran: Christchurch – Picton (starting 12 February 1956); Christchurch – Invercargill (starting 13 February 1956); Christchurch – Greymouth and Ross in conjunction with the Vulcan class (starting 20 February 1956). Operation From almost the beginning the railcars faced mechanical problems, with cooling being the primary issue, along with crankcase failures and electrical fires towards the end of their lives. Although modifications were made they continued to have a reputation for unreliability throughout their career, frequently having to run with one motor isolated. The 1950s was a period of increased prosperity and saw massive increases in the numbers of private motorcars, along with improvements to roads such as the tar sealing of main highways, and the construction of new roads such as the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Growing road traffic led to the requirement in 1956 that all railcars have headlights on at all times. While the delay in introducing the railcars on the Rotorua route (1959) and the difficult geography of the Northland and Bay of Plenty service meant poor patronage, the railcars stabilised NZRs long-distance rail patronage at 3 million passengers annually from 1959 to 1964. But by the mid-1960s the railcars were dated, patronage fell and services became unprofitable. Main trunk services The 1952 Royal Commission recommended railcar services on the North Island Main Trunk and replacing the daylight multiple stops train on the Main South Line (which supplemented the South Island Limited and other fast express services) leaving Dunedin at 8:05 am and