Muri Railway Station

Muri
Metlink suburban rail
Muri Station in 2001
Coordinates	41°2′2″S 174°53′35.99″E / 41.03389°S 174.8933306°E
Owned by	Metlink
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Platforms	Dual Side
Tracks	Mainline (2)
Construction
Parking	No
History
Opened	28 July 1952
Closed	30 April 2011
Services
KiwiRail   Preceding station   Metlink   Following station Paekakariki toward Waikanae Kapiti Line Pukerua Bay toward Wellington

Muri Railway Station was on the North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand, part of the suburban rail network of Wellington. It was double tracked with side platforms on a straight section between two curves, 31.2 km from Wellington Railway Station, the southern terminus of the NIMT. Pukerua Bay station remains open.

Services

Muri was served by Kapiti Line commuter trains operated by Tranz Metro under the Metlink brand until 2011. Trains running every 30 minutes off-peak, and more frequently during peak periods used to stop in Muri until its closure.^[1] The platform and buildings remain in their original state.

Commuter trains were operated by electric multiple units. These were originally DM/D class units, but from the 1980s EM/ET class. Two diesel-hauled carriage trains, the Capital Connection and the Northern Explorer (previously Overlander), pass through the station but did not stop even when the station was still open.

Muri and Kenepuru stations had been considered for closure by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, claiming that both had low usage and would require considerable expenditure to upgrade for the new Matangi units and for safety considerations ($600,000 estimated for Muri).^[2] Following a sub-committee meeting of the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Muri station was closed on 30 April 2011.^[3]

History

The line through Muri was built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR), completed to Longburn in 1886. During the last stage of finishing the tunnels on the coastal escarpment towards Paekakariki, the last stop coming from Wellington was called Pukerua, near where Muri Station was. There were no roads into the area yet and passengers had to leave the train, climb down to the beach and continue by rail on temporary tracks to Paekakariki.

Material for the construction of the railway north of Muri was offloaded from ships anchored off Pukerua into small boats and brought to the beach. From there, a tramway took the rails, sleepers and bricks up to the railway track at Muri.

Muri opened on 28 July 1952, 45 chains (905 m) north of Pukerua Bay, and was closer to the centre of the population of Pukerua Bay at the time.

References

1. Metlink, Paraparaumu Line timetable, accessed 30 October 2007.
2. The Dominion Post 28 July 2009 page A5 & Kapi-Mana News 21 July 2009 page 1
3. Dando, Kris (22 March 2011). "Pukerua Bay residents forced to walk as Muri Station receives death sentence". Kapi-Mana News. Retrieved 27 October 2011.