In December 2016 KiwiRail announced that it was considering establishing a temporary Southerner-style service using scenic carriages from the '' Coastal Pacific '' , whilst that service remained suspended following the large Kaikoura earthquake . An alternative rolling stock option would be to use one of the three Silver Fern railcars owned by KiwiRail once the '' Coastal Pacific '' service resumes
Kaikoura earthquake
2016 Kaikoura earthquake
Southerner (New Zealand train)