BR moves to revive Blue Train

Equally, a concept paper is currently being developed, and the selection of an appropriate operational model is expected by the end of the financial year, Parliament was told last week. The Minister of Transport and Public Infrastructure, Noah Salakae, stated that the two prerequisites would inform the direction towards bringing back the Blue Train. “Both the viability of the route and the timelines for implementation will be determined only after a suitable operator and operational model have been confirmed,” he told legislators.

In March 2024, the state-owned rail utility floated a public notice inviting private entities to express interest in operating the passenger train service, popularly known as the Blue Train. At the time, the BR specified that the EOI was exclusively reserved for citizen-owned companies, although no further details were provided on the nature of the prospective partnership model. The Blue Train, which had become a vital mode of transport for many citizens, was suspended in January 2020 due to mounting financial losses and has remained out of service since.