Off the track season for the Peace Train
Christchurch City Council Newsline: 22nd May 2024
The Peace Train has completed another bumper season with almost 10,000 passengers taking a ride.
The miniature train was gifted by the Yusuf Islam Foundation following the 2019 terror attacks, and operates free to ride along a track in the Botanic Gardens.
The 2023/24 season ran from 3 September – 28 April and saw the train chug along the tracks for 26 weekends with a total of 9,667 passengers.
The train stopped in at the Mainfreight Christmas Parade, the Unity Sunday event and the EID Festival over the season, and had its busiest day on 10 September with 524 passengers.
There are four carriages aboard which can take four adults each, meaning there were well over 500 runs over the months.
“We’ve had another fantastic season this year, and the train remains as popular as ever,” says Christchurch City Council Parks Programmes and Partnership Manager Dr Roslyn Kerr.
“We know that families and kids love riding the train and this is really thanks to our volunteers who keep it running. We’re incredibly lucky to have such a dedicated group who’re so enthusiastic about the work they do.”
For volunteer Grant Lange, it’s the lasting memories of spreading joy that make the work worth it.
“An unforgettable moment from the season just gone is of a young disabled girl in a specially designed wheelchair with breathing apparatus, who did not want to ride the train,” Grant says.
“Her family were with her and managed to convince her to ride in the caboose, which has wheelchair access. In the end she absolutely loved it and her wide smile at the completion of her ride was worth so much to everyone watching.”
The train was operated by 31 volunteers over the season, and Dr Kerr says they’re always looking for new recruits.
Christchurch City Council Parks staff will be undertaking training again in August for the 2024 – 2025 season.
Find out more about about the Peace Train, including how to become a volunteer.