The Crusaders Express will pick up fans from Rolleston and Rangiora Stations.
Mainland Rail managing director Ian Ladd says that there is an opportunity to expand the train service for other events at the stadium.
“This could lead to commuter rail in Canterbury with this being the first test of it”.
Mainland Rail has confirmed a temporary pop-up ramp at Pilgrim Place. This ramp is about 1km away from the stadium which will be a 15 minute walk.
The Christchurch City Council has granted $51,053 to pay for the ramp.
Two All Blacks and current Crusaders– Sevu Reece and Scott Barrett - as well as Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge - were at the launch.
The trains can carry 200 people, and there are plans to expand that capacity to 300.
The service will not be subsidised unlike other commuter rail which Ladd says is what makes it a “premium service”. Mainland Rail’s long-term plan is further development of railway services for commuters going to events at One NZ Stadium and across the region.
The Crusaders Express will have its first ride to the Crusaders v Waratahs game on Friday 24 April. Train tickets for the game will be $49 for an adult, $29 for children, and $129 for a family pass. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday 26 March.
Plans are also underway for the Crusaders Express train to operate on the following games:
Besides the train, Environment Canterbury is encouraging the use of existing bus routes, cycling, scootering, walking and carpooling to get to the stadium.
To reduce congestion caused by events at the Stadium, E-Can launched the ‘Event Direct’ shuttle bus service. This service is a pre-booked service available for pick up and drop off at locations around Christchurch. E-Can public transport general manager Stewart Gibbon says the shuttle bus service provides “a guaranteed access to the facility”.
The tickets will be available on a 20% discount at $4.80 per person one way and $9.60 return. Bookings are expected to open from early April. If demand increases once launched, Metro will provide more shuttle buses but have a limited number of buses available.
Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare has confirmed that Venues Ōtautahi is working with the Christchurch City Council and Flamingo to identify locations on the premises for E-scooter parking. So far, they have found a few locations on the perimeter of the precinct. There will be a speed limit of 15kph for e-scooter riders on the precinct.
For those who like to cycle, 61 bike stands have been installed on Lichfield, Madras, Tuam, and Barbadoes Streets. In addition, there are also 55 bike stands in the stadium precinct, with two bikes per stand.
Venues Otautahi have also teamed up with digital navigation provider PAM to provide digital directions to and around One New Zealand Stadium.
The smart maps include full navigation across the city with travel times and directions. They also chart the path through the correct entry gate, right through to the user’s seating section.
The maps are also able to send directions to food stalls, toilets and other activations on site. The first version of the map is available to view on the One New Zealand Stadium website: Plan Your Visit | One NZ Stadium
The map for Super Round will launch in the week of the event.
