Taieri Gorge Railway chief executive Murray Bond said 4560 tickets, at $5 each, were sold on 10 trips between Dunedin, Mosgiel and Port Chalmers.
The 11am Dunedin-to-Mosgiel service was perhaps the best example of the popularity of the train trips.
It was standing room only, with 640 people on board.
The majority of passengers spoken to on the 1pm service to Mosgiel supported the reintroduction of commuter rail for Dunedin.
Readers of the Otago Daily Times also voted overwhelmingly yesterday in favour of permanent suburban rail services for Dunedin city.
At 10.45pm, an online survey showed 95% of 115 respondents supported full-time services - and all 74 callers to the newspaper's "teletopics" phone-line backed suburban rail.
"The day was a far bigger success than we planned," Mr Bond said.
"People were saying things like 'When are you running it again?'.
"But the message from people today is one we hear 10 times a day from tourists at the counter.
"They can't believe, in a country with scenery like ours, there is so little public rail transport."
The company "had no plans at this stage" to operate full-time services, as it would not be commercially viable without subsidies from local or national authorities, Mr Bond said.
"If we run future excursions, we would apply for regional land transport funding to offset operating costs.
"We tried the same thing with the Wenita logging deal and were turned down flat.
"I think the problem in New Zealand is land transport policy actually means roading transport policy," he said.
When asked to estimate the costs of establishing permanent suburban rail services in Dunedin, Mr Bond said the biggest expense would be $4 million for two railcars, plus relatively minimal investments in shelters and ticketing facilities.
Many cited rising fuel costs and parking fees in Dunedin as reasons for using rail.
A shift worker had reservations about rail timetables, and others said they used company vehicles each day.
They were asked: Would you use permanent suburban rail services if they operated between Dunedin, Mosgiel and Port Chalmers?
• Cheryle Papp, of Mosgiel: "Absolutely. I used them in the 1960s and would come into town to do shopping on a Friday night for years. You got a bit covered in soot once in a while but it was a lot of fun."
• Irene Johnson, of Mosgiel: "I'm a mum at the moment, but if I was working in town I would definitely like to have the option. It's a great experience and easy with the kids."
• Faye Hammond, of Mosgiel: "They should do it more often. We are in Mosgiel, but I would probably come into town by train now and then."
• Brendon Whipp, of St Leonards: "I would use it every day . . . and would pay about $5 a trip. We could get rid of a second car and save on petrol and running costs like registration and just have one car for emergencies or longer trips."
• Tom Hobbs, of Ravensbourne: "I would use it if the price was reasonable - maybe $3, $4 or even $5 per trip."
