A tribute to Neil, Auckland's legendary singing train manager
For years, a train manager has been brightening the lives of Auckland's commuters with his intercom melodies. Hayden Donnell honours Neil, patron saint of the Western Line.
Steph Dickinson-Cole was tired and frazzled on her way home from work when she heard the familiar bing of the train intercom. 'This is your train manager, Neil,' sounded a friendly voice. He went through some of the usual spiel. Stay safe at all times. Please keep clear of the closing doors. Then the singing started. It was to the tune of 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', but the lyrics had been altered. 'AT wants to give you the best,' Neil warbled over the chorus refrain. When he was done, he wished his 'dear friends' a great evening. 'Honestly, it felt like the sky was way more blue,' says Dickinson-Cole. 'It was like the train was just, like, way lighter.'
Dickinson-Cole's story is one of many. Across the years, Neil has shone a ray of metaphorical light into what would otherwise be the enveloping dark of thousands of Auckland commutes. His appearances are a surprise. We know Neil is usually on the Western Line. He seems to work more often during the evening rush hour. He appears to be an older Indian gentleman. But there's no way of guaranteeing an encounter. Some say it only happens when you need it most.
The most reliable and well-documented fact about Neil is that he's a bonafide Kiwi legend. A horde of people have written into The Spinoff to describe being rescued from the pits of commuter despair by their singing train manager. 'Encountered multiple occasions of Neil on the evening commute from Britomart to Papakura last year,' said Kat. 'This amazing person would make an announcement on the train while singing his own rendition of a song and being happy, smiling and positive. He certainly puts a smile on your face after a busy day at work.'
Many correspondents were particularly moved by a creative flurry from Neil in the lead-up to Christmas. Just like Dickinson-Cole, they described their evenings being turned around by Santa Claus coming to town aboard an AT train service. Michael remembered another version of the song. 'Something along the lines of 'Auckland Transport is taking you to town'. Lots of startled eyes up and near-smiles amongst the commuters,' he said, adding a familiar refrain. 'More power to him I say, some light in the AT train reliability issues darkness.'
Neil also turned his voice to other carols. Logan recalled a rendition of 'Feliz Navidad' days before the holidays. Anthony was moved by a rendition of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas'.
Though he peaks in December, Neil is a year-round phenomenon. Dickinson-Cole recently recorded him singing to the tune of 'You've Got a Friend' by James Taylor. 'You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am, I'll come running… to see you. Neil is your train manager,' he crooned.
Others sent recordings of Neil piercing the rush hour doldrums with classic rock and soul. Rebekah captured an augmented rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Proud Mary' on the southern line. 'Proud AT keeps on going. Rolling down the tracks…' he sang, before trailing off into an existential PSA. 'To Papakura and back, and that's how it will always be. Thank you dear friends.' Sophie captured a similar performance on the Western Line to Swanson.
These encounters have been going on for years. 'In the shitshow that is AT, there is one shiny golden light at the end of the tunnel. This bundle of joy is Neil who is often the train manager on the Western Line heading into the city,' reads a three-year-old Reddit post from a passenger who'd just been treated to a public transport-themed performance of 'Don't Worry, Be Happy'. 'Hi AT, I'd like to report our train manager for going thru carriage saying 'have a great evening' + making me think life is ok',' wrote Spinoff twerp Hayden Donnell on Twitter nine years ago.
In all of this, Neil has never been recognised for his services to commuters. That's apparently by choice. Both AT and Neil's employer, Auckland One Rail, said he usually refuses interview requests. 'He is very humble!' explained an email from AOR's communications manager.
He shouldn't be. The King's Birthday honours were just announced. Alongside genuine heroes like Suzy Cato and Dai Henwood are the usual gaggle of businessmen and former politicians getting recognised by King Charles for their services to having lots of money and knowing people from the government. Most of them haven't brought half the joy to the world in their entire lives that Neil does on a single afternoon service from Papakura to Britomart.
It's time to right that wrong. Though the Crown may not see it as more valuable than shepherding through New Zealand's most punitive beneficiary crackdown or starting a knockoff Tupperware company, bringing cheer to thousands of punishing commutes is worthy of recognition. So arise, Sir Neil, The Spinoff names you knight of the six-carriage service, defender of the evening train. As Bette Midler once sang: 'Did you ever know that you're my hero? And everything I would like to be / I can go all the way to Swanson / For you are the wind beneath my tracks'. Thank you dear friend, and have a wonderful day. Stand clear of the closing doors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
6 hours ago
- 1News
Who is Zohran Mamdani? The NYC mayoral hopeful's stunning rise
When he announced his run for mayor back in October, Zohran Mamdani was a state lawmaker unknown to most New York City residents. Last week, the 33-year-old marked his stunning political ascension when he declared victory in the Democratic primary from a Queens rooftop bar after former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo conceded. While the race's ultimate outcome has yet to be confirmed by a ranked-choice count scheduled for July 1, here's a look at the one-time rapper seeking to become the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor, and its youngest mayor in generations. Mamdani's mother is a famous filmmaker Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents and became an American citizen in 2018, shortly after graduating from college. He lived with his family briefly in Cape Town, South Africa, before moving to New York City when he was 7. ADVERTISEMENT Mamdani's mother, Mira Nair, is an award-winning filmmaker whose credits include 'Monsoon Wedding,' 'The Namesake' and 'Mississippi Masala.' His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is an anthropology professor at Columbia University. Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani takes the stage at his primary election party, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York (Source: Associated Press) Mamdani married Rama Duwaji, a Syrian American artist, earlier this year. The couple, who met on the dating app Hinge, live in the Astoria section of Queens. Mamdani was once a fledgling rapper Mamdani attended the Bronx High School of Science, where he cofounded the public school's first cricket team, according to his legislative bio. ADVERTISEMENT He graduated in 2014 from Bowdoin College in Maine, where he earned a degree in Africana studies and cofounded his college's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. After college, he worked as a foreclosure prevention counsellor in Queens, helping residents avoid eviction, the job he says inspired him to run for public office. Democratic mayoral candidates Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Jessica Ramos, Zellnor Myrie, Andrew Cuomo, Whitney Tilson, Zohran Mamdani, Michael Blake and Scott Stringer participate in a Democratic mayoral primary debate (Source: Associated Press) Mamdani also had a notable side hustle in the local hip-hop scene, rapping under the moniker Young Cardamom and later Mr. Cardamom. During his first run for state lawmaker, Mamdani gave a nod to his brief foray into music, describing himself as a 'B-list rapper." 'Nani,' a song he made in 2019 to honor his grandmother, even found new life -- and a vastly wider audience -- as his mayoral campaign gained momentum. His critics, meanwhile, have seized on lyrics from 'Salaam," his 2017 ode to being Muslim in New York, to argue his views are too extreme for New Yorkers. ADVERTISEMENT Early political career Mamdani cut his teeth in local politics working on campaigns for Democratic candidates in Queens and Brooklyn. He was first elected to the New York Assembly in 2020, knocking off a longtime Democratic incumbent for a Queens district covering Astoria and surrounding neighbourhoods. He has handily won reelection twice. The Democratic Socialist's most notable legislative accomplishment has been pushing through a pilot program that made a handful of city buses free for a year. He's also proposed legislation banning nonprofits from 'engaging in unauthorised support of Israeli settlement activity.' Mamdani's opponents, particularly Cuomo, have dismissed him as woefully unprepared for managing the complexities of running America's largest city. But Mamdani has framed his relative inexperience as a potential asset, saying in a mayoral debate he's 'proud' he doesn't have Cuomo's 'experience of corruption, scandal and disgrace.' ADVERTISEMENT Viral campaign videos Mamdani has used buzzy campaign videos — many with winking references to Bollywood and his Indian heritage — to help make inroads with voters outside his slice of Queens. On New Year's Day, he took part in the annual polar plunge into the chilly waters off Coney Island in a full dress suit to break down his plan to 'freeze' rents. As the race was entering the final stretch, Mamdani walked the length of Manhattan, documenting the roughly 21-kilometre trip by posting photos and videos of his interactions along the way. In TikTok videos, he's even appealed to voters of colour by speaking in Spanish, Bangla and other languages. Progressive promises Mamdani has offered a more optimistic vision, in contrast to candidates like Cuomo, who have largely focused on crime and law and order issues. ADVERTISEMENT His campaign has been packed with big promises aimed at lowering the cost of living for everyday New Yorkers, from free child care, free buses, a rent freeze for people living in rent-regulated apartments and new affordable housing – much of it by raising taxes on the wealthy. The big promises have, unsurprisingly, endeared him to the Democratic Party's liberal wing. Mamdani secured endorsements from two of the country's foremost progressives, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, and Sen Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Pro-Palestinian views Mamdani's outspoken support for Palestinian causes was a point of tension in the mayor's race as Cuomo and other opponents sought to label his defiant criticism of Israel as antisemitic. The Shia Muslim has called Israel's military campaign in Gaza a 'genocide' and said the country should exist as 'a state with equal rights,' rather than a 'Jewish state.' That message has resonated among pro-Palestinian residents, including the city's roughly 800,000 adherents of Islam — the largest Muslim community in the country. During an interview on CBS's 'The Late Show' on the eve of the election, host Stephen Colbert asked Mamdani if he believed the state of Israel had the right to exist. He responded: 'Yes, like all nations, I believe it has a right to exist — and a responsibility also to uphold international law.' ADVERTISEMENT Mamdani's refusal to condemn calls to 'globalise the intifada' on a podcast — a common chant at pro-Palestinian protests — drew recriminations from Jewish groups and fellow candidates in the days leading up to the election. In his victory speech Tuesday, he pledged to work closely with those who don't share his views on controversial issues. 'While I will not abandon my beliefs or my commitments, grounded in a demand for equality, for humanity, for all those who walk this earth, you have my word to reach further, to understand the perspectives of those with whom I disagree, and to wrestle deeply with those disagreements,' Mamdani said.
NZ Herald
14 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Clarkson's Farm: New Zealand's version needs a pub too
The lighting in the Huntaway Inn is either so dim you lose your mates in the shadows, or so fluorescent you can count their nose hairs. Photo / Nicola Topping Last week, I floated the idea of creating a Kiwi version of Clarkson's Farm — Hosking's Farm. Well, if you follow the Clarkson Rule Book, the next logical step is obvious: open a pub. So, I present to you: The Huntaway Inn.
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Ward's bodies of artwork
Vincent Ward painting a model for his coming photography exhibition. PHOTO: ADRIAN MALLOCH There's never been a Queenstown art exhibition like it. Internationally-acclaimed Kiwi filmmaker Vincent Ward, who's been in the resort this week hosting screenings of two of his iconic films, this Saturday launches an exhibition of 13 photographs he's taken of artworks he painted on human bodies. Entitled 'Palimpsest/Landscapes', the exhibition's on at Milford Galleries' new Gorge Rd gallery. A palimpsest is a text with the ghost of its previous use faintly visible behind the new script. Ward's images, painted on professional dancers, are inspired by memories of his father, his war injuries and his work clearing rough bush hillsides to create farmland. "I call it painting more than photography because even though I use a camera, ultimately the most important part is what I did before the camera photographs." For four of the works, he collaborated with famous Chinese calligrapher, DongLing Wang. Ward says he's called on not only the knowledge he's accumulated as a filmmaker, where he's often explored the space between painting and film — as in, for example, his 1998 film, What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams — but also as an art school honours student at Canterbury University. Following an artist's talk at 3pm this Saturday, Ward's also undertaking a book signing of a large-format art book, Breath, he and three colleagues produced from an earlier exhibition, at 3.45pm. The exhibition runs till July 20.
