The New Zealand Railways Department began investigating the introduction of an upmarket overnight service in 1968 to recapture some of the patronage it had lost. This service, named the Silver Star, was introduced in September 1971 and replaced the Night Limited.
In 1968, the New Zealand Railways Department started looking into a premium overnight train service to attract back passengers who had abandoned their journeys. The Silver Star, introduced in September 1971, took over from the Night Limited.