After air-conditioned panorama cars were introduced, the trains' popularity increased to the extent that Tranz Scenic introduced extra Christchurch-Dunedin, Invercargill-Christchurch, Christchurch-Invercargill and Dunedin-Christchurch services on Fridays, numbered #903 to #906.
Patronage continued to fall away, even when from 1993 onwards panorama cars were introduced to this service.