Papakura, Pukekohe, Huntly, Hamilton, Morrinsville, Matamata and Putāruru. Demise A lack of profitability, partly due to poor advertising and marketing of the service, led to the cancellation of the Geyserland Express early in the 21st century. At its end the train was attracting an average of only 30 to 40 passengers per day which was unsustainable and thus the final service ran on 7 October 2001. Proposed reinstatement Following the cancellation of the service the Geyserland Express Trust was established, seeking to re-instate the train as a five-star tourist venture under the Geyserland Express name. In response to the trust's proposal, national rail operator KiwiRail stated that it would not consider running such a service unless a third party contributed funding as the service would not be financially viable by itself. KiwiRail has also indicated that it would need to see a sound business case for reinstating the train that proves there would be sufficient demand with 120 passengers daily thought to be the number required for the service to break-even. This proposal has yet to come to fruition. In September 2006 a joint proposal was put forward to the government by the Rail and Maritime Transport Union and the Green Party, to have long-distance passenger rail services transferred to the government-owned track company ONTRACK (now part of the KiwiRail group) and make ONTRACK an operator, with Toll NZ supplying locomotives and drivers in a "hook and tow" arrangement. They proposed reintroducing a number of regional services, Rotorua being one of these. ONTRACK stated in 2006 that there were two tentative proposals to operate passenger services on this line. The biggest hurdle facing the reinstatement of the Geyserland Express is that the Rotorua Branch line has been inactive and mothballed since not long after the passenger train's cessation, and although most track remains in place, it will have to be significantly repaired before it can be used again. Not having a station in the central city at Rotorua also does not help make any potential rail passenger service look attractive. References External links History of passenger trains to Rotorua – primarily focuses on steam-hauled trains September 1999 timetable Article about the Geyserland Express Trust's proposal Long-distance passenger trains in New Zealand Rail transport in the Auckland Region Rail transport in Waikato Rail transport in the Bay of Plenty Region Railway services introduced in 1991 Railway services discontinued in 2001 1991