Te Awamutu Railway Station

Te Awamutu railway station

Te Awamutu Railway Station about 1909.[1]
Location New Zealand
Coordinates 38.0049656,175.3101357
Line(s) North Island Main Trunk
History
Opened 1 July 1880
Closed 10 April 2005[2]
Electrified June 1988
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station
Te Mawhai
Line open, station closed		   North Island Main Trunk
KiwiRail		   Ngaroto
Line open, station closed

Te Awamutu was a temporary terminus, serving the border town of Te Awamutu, on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand from 1880 until 1887, when the line was extended south. It was 3.04 km (1.89 mi) south of Ngaroto and 4.16 km (2.58 mi) north of Te Mawhai.[3]

It was about 800 m (2,600 ft) from the town centre. Sir George Grey claimed that was due to opposition from local residents.[4]

The 1902 edition of The Cyclopedia of New Zealand described the station as, "of wood and iron, and contains a public vestibule and waiting room, ladies' waiting room, and general office. It has also a long passenger platform and a convenient goods shed. The stationmaster is assisted by a junior porter and a guard, and two gangers are resident in Te Awamutu."[5]

Trains calling at Te Awamutu included The Overlander, Blue Streak, Scenic Daylight, Daylight Limited, Northerner and Night Limited.

The station buildings were demolished in 2001[6] and replaced by a shelter until the station closed in 2005.[7] New Zealand Dairy Board (now Fonterra) rebuilt its freight connection about 2000.[8]

Te Awamutu dairy factory trip train. Mt Kakepuku in background. August 2014

Since 2005 there has been a large flow from the dairy factory to Crawford St depot in Hamilton.[9]

There are still hopes that passenger services may resume. For example, in 2015, Waipa District Council said, "it is important to preserve the rail platform facilities and infrastructure in Te Awamutu to enable future passenger rail connections between Te Awamutu and Hamilton".[10]

References

  1. ↑ Radcliffe, Frederick George. "New Zealand post card negatives, ref: 1/2-006260-G" – via Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.
  2. ↑ Scoble, Juliet (April 2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
  3. ↑ New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 3 & 4.
  4. ↑ "The Te Awamutu Railway Station". Waikato Times. XI (884). 21 February 1878. p. 3. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Te Awamutu". 1902 Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Victoria University of Wellington Library.
  6. ↑ "Railway Station". Te Awamutu Community Hub.
  7. ↑ Aronson, Cathy (8 November 2000). "Rescue mission for neglected station". New Zealand Herald.
  8. ↑ "Last loco unable to get out under own steam". Waikato Times. 6 May 2008.
  9. ↑ Murray King & Francis Small Consultancy Ltd (September 2011). Fuel efficiency impacts of Fonterra’s Crawford St Dairy Freight Hub (PDF). Wellington, New Zealand: Waikato Regional Council. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-9864687-6-6.
  10. ↑ "Draft Regional Public Transport Plan 2015-2025 Hearing" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council. p. 15.
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