160-528: The New Zealand Railways Department , NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system . The Department was created in 1880 and was corporatised on 1 April 1982 into the New Zealand Railways Corporation . Originally, railway construction and operation took place under
320-595: A spiral built to overcome large elevation differences with grades suitable for steam engines, the ruling gradient being 1 in 50. When the first sections of the NIMT were built, there was great uncertainty as to even the route in Waikato , with Cambridge , Kihikihi , Te Awamutu and Alexandra considered as possible destinations in Waikato. The central section was gradually extended to meet up in 1909, 23 years after
480-540: A 10-year turnaround plan for the rail industry. This was accompanied by significant government investment in KiwiRail of over $ 2.1 billion during the period 2008 to February 2017. In May 2017, the government announced a further $ 450 million capital injection and that KiwiRail would be subject to a further significant review. The plan has been significantly undermined by the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011,
640-433: A decline in passenger, freight and train miles run but also led to an increase in profitability. In the 1917 Annual Report, a record 5.3% return on investment was made. The war did take its toll on railway services, with dining cars being removed from passenger trains in 1917, replaced by less labour-intensive refreshment rooms at railway stations along the way. As a result, the "scramble for pie and tea at Taihape " became
800-554: A modern concrete structure, though the original has been restored as a tourist attraction. In 1980 the 1880s Poro-O-Tarao Tunnel in the King Country was replaced by a tunnel with clearances which allowed for large hicube containers. In 2009–10, the 1.5 km (0.93 mi) section of line between Wellington Junction and Distant Junction was rebuilt from double track to triple track, to ease peak-time congestion. In February 2011, duplication between Paekākāriki and Waikanae
960-687: A national network connecting major centres in New Zealand was never realised. Despite the abolition of the provinces in 1876, parochial interests often overcame national interests, and the government approved and built many branch lines to lightly populated hinterlands, instead of prioritising interprovincial main trunks. As a result, a number of routes first proposed by Vogel in 1870 were still not complete by 1920. Bush tramways were usually privately owned light railways , usually for logging operations. Usually built with light tracks and light-weight rolling stock, bush tramways were usually connected to
1120-725: A new eastern route from Auckland to Westfield via Glen Innes and Hobsons Bay, running into the new Auckland railway station and providing better access to the Port of Auckland. The original section between Auckland and Westfield via Newmarket later ceased to be part of the NIMT: Auckland to Newmarket became the Auckland-Newmarket Line , and Newmarket to Westfield became part of the North Auckland Line (NAL) which runs between Whangarei and Westfield. In
1280-616: A new rail hub complex in Hamilton and another planned for Mosgiel . In 2019, the government began a "Future of Rail" review, and in December 2019 released a draft New Zealand Rail Plan, outlining changes to the rail transport industry. The draft plan proposes a number of major changes, the most significant being future funding of the rail network through the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF). The final plan
1440-620: A new railway station and head office in Wellington were approved, along with the electrification of the Johnsonville Line (then still part of the North Island Main Trunk). The Wellington railway station and Tawa flat deviation were both completed in 1937. As part of attempts by NZR to win back passengers from private motor vehicles, the same year the first 56-foot carriages were introduced. Garnet Mackley
1600-455: A part of New Zealand folklore. Non-essential rail services were curtailed as more staff took part in the war effort, and railway workshops were converted for producing military equipment, on top of their existing maintenance and construction work. The war soon affected the supply of coal to the railways. Although hostilities ended in 1918, the coal shortage carried on into 1919 as first miners strikes and then an influenza epidemic cut supplies. As
1760-629: A particular focus on bulk freight exports and imports, with 19 million net tonnes moved by rail annually, accounting for more than half of rail revenue. Rail transport played an important role in the opening up and development of the hinterland outside of New Zealand's predominantly dispersed and coastal settlements. Starting with the Ferrymead Railway in 1863, most public railway lines were short, built by provincial governments and connected major centres to their nearest seaport (such as Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton Harbour ). From
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#17327800212891920-580: A population of 362 to each mile of railway already made. In August 1881 the Railways Construction and Land Act was passed, allowing joint-stock companies to build and run private railways, as long as they were built to the government's standard rail gauge of 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) and connected with the government railway lines. The Act had the effect of authorising the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company to build
2080-495: A report known as the "Fay Raven Report" which gave qualified approval to Coates' programme. The reports only significant change was the proposal of a Cook Strait train ferry service between Wellington and Picton, to link the two systems up. Coates went on to become Prime Minister in 1925, an office he held until 1928 when he was defeated at the general election of that year . While the Westfield and Tawa Flat deviations proceeded,
2240-449: A result, non-essential services remained in effect until the end of 1919. Shortages of spare parts and materials led to severe inflation, and repairs on locomotives being deferred. Similar coal-saving timetable cuts occurred at the end of the next war in 1945 and 1946. In 1920 the 3,000-mile (4,800 km) milestone of open railway lines was reached and 15 million passengers were carried by the department. An acute housing shortage following
2400-627: A small number of tourist orientated passenger services, such as the TranzAlpine , Coastal Pacific and Northern Explorer . Dunedin Railways also operate tourist trains out of Dunedin , and a number of heritage operators run charter specials from time to time. Urban passenger rail services exist only in Auckland and Wellington . Rail in New Zealand has received significant and ongoing government investment since re-nationalisation in 2008, with
2560-783: A technical study carried out with assistance from the Japanese Railway Technical Research Institute . The report stated that track capacity would be increased by electrification because such traction is faster and able to move more freight at once. The report stated, for example, that whereas a diesel locomotive could haul 720-tonne trains at 27 km/h (17 mph) up the Raurimu Spiral , an electric locomotive could haul 1100/1200-tonne trains at 45 km/h (28 mph), cutting 3–5 hours off journey times. Less fuel would be needed and employing regenerative braking in electric locomotives lowers
2720-518: A year after the last major battle. This line reached Mercer by 20 May 1875, with 29 km (18 mi) from Ngāruawāhia being constructed by the Volunteer Engineer Militia and opened on 13 August 1877. It was extended to Frankton by December 1877, and to Te Awamutu in 1880. An economic downturn stalled construction for the next five years, and Te Awamutu remained the railhead. There were also negotiations with local Māori, and
2880-445: Is a division of KiwiRail that maintains and upgrades the rail infrastructure and is responsible for the control of the network (i.e. train control and signalling). Other rail operating companies using the rail network include Auckland One Rail and Transdev Wellington , who operate suburban services in Auckland and Wellington respectively, and Dunedin Railways , who operate tourist trains out of Dunedin . KiwiRail released in 2010
3040-472: Is due to open in late 2025 at the earliest. Light rail networks are planned for Auckland , Wellington , and Christchurch. Advocacy group Greater Auckland proposed the Regional Rapid Rail initiative in 2017, including tilt trains with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. This network would provide passenger services linking Auckland with Hamilton , Tauranga and Rotorua . In December 2018,
3200-716: Is now used only by Transdev Wellington for Metlink suburban passenger services on the Kapiti Line , and was extended to Paraparaumu on 7 May 1983 and Waikanae on 20 February 2011. Funded by the Greater Wellington Regional Council , the extension to Waikanae coincided with the delivery of new FP class Matangi electric multiple units . Following the Second World War railway services suffered due to skill and coal shortages. Skilled staff sought employment opportunities elsewhere in
3360-544: The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake , Pike River Mine disaster , coal price collapse, coal miner Solid Energy going into voluntary administration in 2016 and major motive power issues with the new DL class of locomotives. Nevertheless, significant improvements in freight volumes have followed (other than with coal). Two of KiwiRail's major customers, Mainfreight and Fonterra , also invested heavily in rail-related infrastructure. Mainfreight allocated $ 60 million for investment in new railhead depots, while Fonterra invested $ 130m in
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#17327800212893520-706: The Capital Connection between Wellington and Palmerston North , the Northern Explorer between Auckland and Wellington , the Coastal Pacific between Picton and Christchurch , the TranzAlpine between Christchurch and Greymouth , and Te Huia between Hamilton and Auckland Strand . Dunedin Railways operates tourist trains out of Dunedin , with frequent services on part of the former Otago Central Railway line and occasional services north from Dunedin to Palmerston. This service
3680-498: The English Electric built DE class , were introduced in 1951. The locomotives gave good service but were not powerful or numerous enough to seriously displace steam traction. In 1954, the New Zealand railway network reached its zenith in terms of distance with 5,600 km (3,500 mi), 60% of it on gradients between 1 in 100 and 1 in 200 and 33% steeper than 1 in 100. The EW class electric locomotives introduced for
3840-576: The Government of New Zealand committed funding to reintroducing a five-year trial rail service, named Te Huia , between Papakura in southern Auckland to Hamilton, starting in 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand , the Te Huia service had been delayed commencing operations to sometime after 3 August 2020, changed from its initial announced opening date of March 2020. In 2020,
4000-493: The King Country was not accessible to Europeans until 1883. The Wellington - Longburn (near Palmerston North ) section was constructed between 1881 and 1886 by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR). The company was acquired by the government and merged with the New Zealand Railways Department in 1908. The Longburn to Marton section had been opened on 18 April 1878, as part of
4160-657: The Leyland experimental petrol railcar and a fleet of Model T Ford railbuses , the Sentinel-Cammell steam railcar and from 1926 the Clayton steam railcar and successful Edison battery-electric railcar . 10 years later in 1936 the Leyland diesel railbus was introduced, but the first truly successful railcar class to enter service began operating that year, the Wairarapa railcar specially designed to operate over
4320-626: The Liberal Government of Premier Richard Seddon appointed Alfred Cadman as the first Minister of Railways . The Minister appointed a General Manager for the railways, keeping the operation under tight political control. Apart from four periods of government-appointed commissions (1889–1894, 1924–1928, 1931–1936 and 1953–1957), this system remained in place until the department was corporatised in 1982. In 1895, patronage had reached 3.9M passengers per annum and 2.048M tonnes. NZR produced its first New Zealand-built steam locomotive in 1889;
4480-508: The Long Depression , which led to great financial constraint on the department. As a result, the central government passed legislation to allow for the construction of more private railways. A Commission, ordered by Hall, had in 1880 reviewed 85 proposed and partly-constructed railway lines in the colony, and it proposed postponing 21 projects and recommended against proceeding with 29 others. The Commissioners were especially critical of
4640-616: The Onehunga Branch . The line was later continued south from Penrose into the Waikato. To support the Invasion of the Waikato , a 3.5 mi (5.6 km) tramway was built from Maungatāwhiri to Meremere in 1864, with a first sod event near Koheroa on Tuesday, 29 March 1864 by Auckland's Chief Superintendent of Roads & Bridges, W R Collett . Turning of the first sod of the Auckland and Drury Railway took place in 1865,
4800-484: The Pukerua Bay to Paekākāriki section, Around 460 km (290 mi) (approximately 65%) of the line is electrified in three separate sections: one section at 1500 V DC between Wellington and Waikanae, and two sections at 25 kV AC : 412 km (256 mi) between Palmerston North and Te Rapa (Hamilton) and 34 km (21 mi) between Pukekohe and Auckland Waitematā. The first section of what became
4960-789: The Rimutaka Incline . This class followed the building of the Red Terror (an inspection car on a Leyland Cub chassis) for the General Manager in 1933. More classes followed over the years, primarily to operate regional services. Following the success of the Wairarapa railcar class, in 1938 the Standard class railcars were introduced. A further improvement to passenger transport came in July that year, with electric services on
New Zealand Railways Department - Misplaced Pages Continue
5120-522: The South Island , mainly consisting of the 630 km (390 mi) Main South Line from the port of Lyttelton to Bluff. The Railways Department was formed in 1880 during the premiership of Sir John Hall . That year, the private Port Chalmers Railway Company Limited was acquired by the department and new workshops at Addington opened. Ironically, the first few years of NZR were marked by
5280-541: The South Island . The tunnel included the first section of railway electrification in New Zealand and its first electric locomotives, the original E class . The section was electrified at 1,500 V DC, due to the steep grade in the tunnel, and included its own hydro-electric power station. The second section to be electrified by the department was the Lyttelton Line in Christchurch, completed in 1929, at
5440-672: The W class built in the Addington Railway Workshops . Along with opening new lines, NZR began acquiring a number of the private railways which had built railway lines around the country. It acquired the Waimea Plains Railway Company in 1886. At the same time, a protracted legal battle began with the New Zealand Midland Railway Company , which was only resolved in 1898. The partially completed Midland line
5600-1222: The Waiau Branch and Waiau Ferry in Canterbury . By the 1920s NZR was noticing a considerable downturn in rail passenger traffic on many lines due to increasing ownership of private cars, and from 1923 it began to co-ordinate rail passenger services with private bus services. The New Zealand Railways Road Services branch was formed to operate bus services. In 1911 tenders for bookstalls were being advertised for 33 main stations - Auckland , Frankton Junction , Rotorua . Paeroa , Taumarunui , Ohakune , Taihape , Marton , Feilding , Palmerston North , Levin , Wellington Thorndon and Lambton , Masterton , Woodville , Dannevirke . Waipukurau . Hastings , Napier , New Plymouth , Stratford , Hāwera , Aramoho , Whanganui , Nelson , Christchurch , Ashburton , Timaru , Oamaru , Dunedin , Milton , Gore , and Invercargill . By 1912, patronage had reached 13.4M passengers per annum (a 242% increase since 1895) and 5.9M tonnes of freight (a 188% increase since 1895). In 1913, damages of £15 were awarded against New Zealand Railways to S. J. Gibbons by
5760-755: The Wairarapa and Wellington. This led to the closure of the Rimutaka Incline and its unique Fell railway system. Because steam locomotives could not be operated through the new tunnel, the Wairarapa Line was the first to be fully "dieselised". Amid many protests, the isolated Nelson Section was closed, although future Nelson Railway Proposals resurfaced from 1957. The RM class "88 seater" or "Fiats" also began entering service from 1955. The railcars were designed to take over provincial inter-city routes but proved to be mechanically unreliable. Despite large orders for diesel-electric locomotives, NZR
5920-538: The Wellington - Auckland express was derailed due to a bridge collapse north of Tangiwai due to a lahar from a volcanic eruption, in what became known as the Tangiwai disaster . The following year NZR introduced the dual-cab D class in 1954, the first main-line diesel-electric locomotives in service. They proved to be unsuccessful in service and the original order of 31 was cancelled, and D class locomotives, also built by English Electric , ordered instead. While
6080-719: The Wellington Province ) were in London to negotiate the retention of Imperial British forces then in New Zealand fighting the New Zealand Wars . They were also tasked with investigating a uniform railway gauge for New Zealand. In 1870, James Macandrew MHR called for another select committee to investigate the need for a law to require one uniform railway gauge for the entire colony. Information from Featherston and Dillon Bell reached Wellington in August 1870, and
6240-682: The Wellington-Manawatu Line . In 1877 the first American locomotives were purchased; the NZR K class (1877) from Rogers , followed by the NZR T class of 1879 from Baldwin . The most important construction project for NZR at this time was the central section of the North Island Main Trunk . Starting from Te Awamutu on 15 April 1885, the section—including the famous Raurimu Spiral —was not completed for another 23 years. The economy gradually improved and in 1895
6400-635: The war delayed most of these works for over a decade. In 1927, automatic colour-light signalling was installed from Otahuhu to Mercer. In 1930 the signalling was extended 34 mi 72 ch (56.2 km) to Frankton and the 6 mi 55 ch (10.8 km) from there to Horotiu was doubled. The 3 mi 54 ch (5.9 km) north to Ngāruawāhia was doubled from 5 December 1937, followed by 9 mi 12 ch (14.7 km) Ngāruawāhia to Huntly on 4 December 1938 and Huntly to Ohinewai and Papakura to Paerata in December 1939. By then, wartime shortages delayed further double-tracking. Pokeno to Mercer
6560-493: The 'Last Spike' monument is at Manganui-o-te-Ao 39°16.44′S 175°23.37′E / 39.27400°S 175.38950°E / -39.27400; 175.38950 , near Pokaka . A two-day NIMT service started on 9 November, with an overnight stop at Ohakune. On 14 February 1909, the first NIMT express left Auckland for Wellington, an overnight trip scheduled to take 19 hours 15 minutes, with a sleeping car, day cars with reclining seats, and postal/parcels vans. The dining car went on
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6720-484: The 12 miles (19 km) between Napier and Hastings but some were replaced by a New Zealand Railways Road Services bus in 1926, and soon they ceased altogether. Worker's concession tickets had been introduced in 1897, initially for the Wellington-Hutt service, and extended next year to Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin (and then between Westport and Waimangaroa). A 1979 NZR report "Time for Change" said that
6880-478: The 1870s, the focus shifted to building a nationwide network linking major centres, especially during the Vogel Era of railway construction following the abolition of the provinces. Narrow gauge of 3ft 6in (1,067mm) was adopted nationally. Bush tramways or light industrial railways sprang up connecting to the national network as it expanded. Railways became centrally controlled as a government department under
7040-664: The 1930s they ran from Christchurch to Springfield on the Midland Line, and into the 1950s overnight between Christchurch and Dunedin. On the North Island Main Trunk they ran during the day while the expresses ran at night. On the Okahukura-Stratford Line they lasted to the early 1970s. In the 1950s and 1960s, most provincial routes had railcar and locomotive-hauled passenger services. In 1965, 25 million passengers travelled by rail; by 1998
7200-465: The 667 km line reduced truck volumes on the route by around 120 per day. A 2008 study by the Ministry of Transport predicted that by 2031 rail freight volumes would increase to 23 million tonnes per annum or 70% on the 2006–2007 financial year. In 2018 the same report found freight levels had increased by 17% between 2007 and 2012. As of 2023, there are only five long-distance passenger routes:
7360-594: The Auckland Regional Council was granted slots for it to contract the operation of suburban passenger trains. Auckland railway stations not already local council-owned were transferred to Auckland Regional Transport Network Limited (ARTNL), owned by the Auckland territorial authorities, which was merged with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), a subsidiary of the Auckland Regional Council (ARC). With
7520-516: The D class proved more successful than the D class, steam remained the dominant form of traction. This led to the introduction of the D class in 1955, the largest fleet of diesel-electric locomotives NZR ever introduced. The D class, more than any other class, displaced steam locomotives from the North Island . On 3 November of the same year the 8.798 kilometres (5.467 mi) long Rimutaka Tunnel opened, greatly reducing transit times between
7680-800: The Government Railways Board. Another Act of Parliament, the Government Railways Amendment Act 1931 was passed. The Railways Board was independent of the Government of the day and answered to the Minister of Finance . During this period the Prime Minister George Forbes was also Minister of Railways, and Minister of Finance was former Minister of Railways Gordon Coates . The Railways Board was chaired by Herbert Harry Sterling,
7840-705: The Johnsonville Line starting with the introduction of the DM/D English Electric Multiple Units . Three new locomotive classes appeared in 1939: the K class , K class and the J class . The K was a further development of the K class, while the J class was primarily for lighter trackage in the South Island. The numerically smaller K class were allocated to the Midland line , where they dominated traffic. This led to
8000-650: The Milson deviation and Rimutaka Tunnel projects remained stalled. The onset of the Great Depression from late 1929 saw these projects scaled back or abandoned. The Westfield deviation was completed in 1930 and the Tawa deviation proceeded at a snail's pace. A number of new lines under construction were casualties, including the Rotorua-Taupo line, approved in July 1928 but abandoned almost a year later due to
8160-630: The Minister of Public Works William Hall-Jones instigated a night shift (under kerosene lamps). By the beginning of 1908, there was a 39 km (24 mi) gap between Erua and Ohakune, with a connecting horse-drawn coach service. From Ohakune south to Waiouru, the Public Works Department operated the train, as this section of 27 km (17 mi) had not yet been handed over to the Railways Department. The gap
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#17327800212898320-523: The Ministry of Works, but was too expensive. In 1966 the NZR General Manager Alan Gandell said that the deviation would eliminate five old and narrow tunnels, and that New Zealand topography precluded a fast run , but travel time would be cut from 13½ hours to between 11½ and 12 hours, the best possible without tremendous expense . But two modern express trains were being designed for the NIMT, and should be introduced in three to four years. The central section from Te Rapa near Hamilton to Palmerston North
8480-570: The NIMT opened in 1873 in Auckland. Construction at the Wellington end began in 1885. The line was completed in 1908 and was fully operational by 1909. It is credited for having been an economic lifeline, and for having opened up the centre of the North Island to European settlement and investment. In the early days, a passenger journey between Wellington and Auckland could take more than 20 hours; today, it takes approximately 11 hours. The NIMT has been described as an "engineering miracle", with numerous engineering feats such as viaducts , tunnels and
8640-420: The NIMT which are electrified: Auckland's urban network and the central section (25 kV AC) from Palmerston North – Te Rapa (north of Hamilton) at 25 kV AC . Wellington's urban network is electrified at 1500 V DC; as formerly used in other sections of the New Zealand network. In Wellington the operating voltage has been increased to 1650V DC, and 1700V DC since the full introduction of the Matangi EMU , to increase
8800-410: The NIMT, the General Motors G12 export models were ordered, becoming the D class . The 411 km (255 mi) section between Palmerston North and Hamilton was electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz AC , opened on 24 June 1988 as one of the Muldoon National Government's " Think Big " energy development projects. An overall cost in excess of $ 100 million had been projected, with some 40% being for
8960-606: The NIMT. In 1957 when the installation of CTC over the remaining 354 km (220 mi) commenced, it was estimated that using CTC over the 330 km (205 mi) Taumarunui to Otaki section with control centres at Ohakune (which shifted to Taumarunui in 1977), Taihape and Palmerston North would replace 74 men in traffic working duties. The last section converted was Piriaka-Owhango. A 1926 article by "Backblocks" described conditions for staff at these stations where four workers lived in isolated areas, and their efforts to get special trains for transport to special events. In 1913,
9120-557: The North Island and Blenheim in the South Island, as part of the " Rail Air " service. In 1950, Straits Air Freight Express (later known as SAFE Air) took over the contract from the RNZAF. The service was discontinued in the early 1980s. The General Manager of NZR, Frank Aickin , was an advocate for electrifying the entire North Island Main Trunk to alleviate the shortage of coal and the cost of importing diesel fuel; though he also recognised that steam and diesel traction would be required on other lines. NZR's first diesel-electric locomotives,
9280-402: The Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific ended their services in December 2021. On April 12, 2022, KiwiRail announced the return of the Northern Explorer and Coastal Pacific services in September, alongside new multi day excursion trains at a later date. Horizons Regional Council 's 2021-2031 Regional Land Transport Plan noted that KiwiRail is considering a "connector service" which would link
9440-504: The Peka Peka to Otaki section of the Kāpiti Expressway required 1.3 km (0.81 mi) of the NIMT immediately north of Otaki station to be realigned. Construction began in 2017, and trains were switched onto the new alignment over the 2019 Easter long weekend (19–22 April). In the Auckland area, a third main line between Wiri and Westfield is under construction; this will allow freight (or other) trains to bypass stationary passenger trains. There are three independent sections of
9600-416: The Railways Department, now branded The Interislander . In 1982, the Railways Department was corporatised into a new entity at the same time land transport was deregulated. The Railways Department became the New Zealand Railways Corporation . The Corporation embarked on a major restructuring, laying off thousands of staff and cutting unprofitable services. After the 1983 land transport deregulation, there
9760-502: The Supreme Court in a precedent-setting case; for damages to a car that hit a train at a level crossing: see Cliff Road railway station . The outbreak of World War I in 1914 had a significant impact on the Railways Department. That year the A class appeared, and the following year the first A class locomotives were introduced. This class went on to become the most numerous locomotive class in New Zealand history, with several examples surviving into preservation. The war itself led to
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#17327800212899920-399: The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, nationalised in 1908, achieved any measure of success, with the rest being purchased by the Government before completion of their intended railway lines. One exception to this rule was the Ohai Railway Board in Southland, which was owned by the State Mines department and a local county council until its dissolution in 1990. The first major route
10080-435: The Wellington electric system. They were the second class of electric locomotive to be used on this section of electrification. They were the most powerful locomotives on the system till the D class arrived in 1972. Aicken went as far as negotiating a tentative contract for the construction of electrification and locomotives for it, but fell out with the Government in late 1951 and resigned. His successor, H.C. Lusty, terminated
10240-480: The Wellington suburban services revenue met only 26% of operating costs (Dunedin was 28%, Auckland 46%). North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk ( NIMT ) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland . The line is 682 kilometres (424 mi) long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) and serves
10400-539: The abolition of the provinces in 1876, railway lines were controlled by the central government, originally under the Public Works Department , and from 1880 under the New Zealand Railways Department. A Minister of Railways was responsible for the department and was a member of the New Zealand Cabinet . A few private companies built railways in New Zealand, including the New Zealand Midland Railway Company , Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company , Waimea Plains Railway , and Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company. Only
10560-669: The auspices of the former provincial governments and some private railways, before all of the provincial operations came under the central Public Works Department . The role of operating the rail network was subsequently separated from that of the network's construction. From 1895 to 1993 there was a responsible Minister, the Minister of Railways . He was often also the Minister of Public Works. Apart from four brief experiments with independent boards, NZR remained under direct ministerial control for most of its history. Originally, New Zealand's railways were constructed by provincial governments and private firms. The largest provincial operation
10720-433: The broad gauge network had been converted to narrow gauge. From 1870, the central government of Sir Julius Vogel proposed infrastructure including a national railway network to be funded by overseas loans of £10 million, under the guise of the "Great Public Works Policy". Settlement and land sales to immigrants from Britain resulting from this infrastructure investment would pay for the scheme. The first narrow-gauge line
10880-480: The coal shortage and prevent heavy expenditure on imported fuels. He commissioned a study into electrification, which concluded that a low-frequency AC system could be cheaper than 1500 V DC, the system in use in Wellington. Aickin sent a technical mission of four senior officers overseas in March 1949 and travelled overseas himself to negotiate a tentative contract with a British construction company. The Chief Mechanical Engineer and Chief Accountant specified and costed
11040-419: The coining of the phrase "KB country" to describe the area, made famous by the National Film Unit 's documentary of the same title. As with the first world war, the Second World War had a significant impact on railways. The war created major labour shortages across the economy generally, and while considered "essential industry", railways were no exception. A large number of NZR employees signed up to fight in
11200-501: The colony's existing railways' inability to generate sufficient income to pay the interest on the loans that had funded their construction: The extent to which this fatal mistake has been made may be in some degree realized by a comparison of the relations between railways and population in this and other countries. In Great Britain the amount of population to each mile of railway is 1,961; in the United States, 580; in New South Wales, 1,108; in Victoria, 924; while in New Zealand we have only
11360-426: The company's total revenue. Freight is mostly bulk traffic geared towards export industries, with general freight being largely restricted to containerised and palletised products on the trunk route. Major bulk freight includes coal, lime, steel, wood and wood products, paper pulp, dry and liquid milk, cars, fertiliser, grain and shipping containers . Freight levels have returned to the level that they were at when
11520-517: The contract and entered into an agreement with General Motors for the supply of 40 EMD G12 model locomotives, designated by NZR as the D class . The first of these locomotives entered service in September 1955, with all of this initial order running by September 1957. On Christmas Eve 1953, the worst disaster in NZR's history, and one of the worst in New Zealand's history occurred. 151 people died when
11680-490: The core rail operations of the Corporation were transferred to New Zealand Rail Limited, another state-owned enterprise, with the Corporation retaining non-core assets which were gradually disposed of, including a significant land portfolio. In many cases, the Corporation did not dispose of land due to Treaty of Waitangi claims and has continued to manage land. New Zealand Rail Limited was privatised in 1993. The company
11840-570: The cost of buying bulk electrical energy generated substantially from New Zealand resources and the cost of generating electricity in a small plant using imported diesel fuel. The Royal Commission on Railways created following Aickin's tenure rejected the report's findings. Aickin's successor Horace Lusty , revised the contract with English Electric to specify D class diesel-electric locomotives . They were later found to be unreliable, and only ten were supplied. 42 D class locomotives were supplied instead for secondary lines. For main lines including
12000-418: The cost of road improvements. By setting in place a system of subsidy from ratepayers and taxpayers, whilst requiring railways to make a 3¾% profit (at that rate, interest amounted to over 22% of total earnings), Coates ensured his prophecy came true, as railways gradually became uneconomic. He also encouraged publicity for rail travel. The following year, Gordon Coates became the Minister of Railways. Coates
12160-544: The country, but did recommend narrow gauge if that were to happen, stating "narrow gauge appears calculated to carry all the traffic for many years, and would possess the advantage of greater cheapness in construction; for this reason railways of this character should be encouraged." By 1869, 78 kilometres (48 mi) of provincial railways were open, with another 30 kilometres (19 mi) under construction, mainly in Southland and Canterbury. Parliamentary debate focused on
12320-534: The creation of the "super-city" Auckland Council in 2010, ARTA was dissolved and its role was taken over by Auckland Transport , a new council-controlled organisation . In 2003, the share price of Tranz Rail dropped to a record low on the New Zealand sharemarket , dropping 88% in value in 12 months as a result of its poor financial state and credit downgrading. The government then considered various schemes for bailing it out in return for regaining control of
12480-602: The depression. An exception was the Stratford–Okahukura Line , finished in 1933. However, there was criticism that maintenance was being neglected. In the Liberals last year of office in 1912, 140 miles (230 km) of line had been relaid, but that was reduced to 118 in 1913, 104 in 1914, 81 in 1924 and 68 in 1925, during the Reform Government 's years. Once again, growing traffic requirements led to
12640-495: The districts' populations to urban services. It also noted that rail service between Whanganui and Palmerston North could be established. The Plan proposes to replace the Capital Connection, a long-range commuter train, with a modern and larger train fleet that could operate at a higher frequency. Currently, Auckland and Wellington have suburban passenger services. In both cities, the respective local governments own
12800-506: The economy. From 1948 to 1951 the General Manager of the Railways Department , Frank Aickin advocated electrification of the entire line, despite protests from his engineering staff. Aickin had previously been Staff Superintendent and Chief Legal Advisor to the Department and considered using diesel locomotives for trains on the NIMT to be too expensive. He turned his attention to electrification, mainly because he saw that it could relieve
12960-533: The edge of the city. Between 1973 and 1981, the major Mangaweka deviation in the central section between Mangaweka and Utiku was built, with three viaducts, all over 70m tall, crossing the Rangitīkei and Kawhatau rivers. The viaducts were at the end of their economic lives. The deviation removed a number of tunnels, many of which were built in unstable country, and eliminated a number of steep gradients. A combined road and rail deviation had bean considered with
13120-478: The electric trains on behalf of Auckland Transport (AT). In recent years the mothballed Onehunga Branch was reopened (2010) and a new line was built ( Manukau Branch , opened April 2012). Recent major projects include electrification of the Auckland suburban network and the building of the City Rail Link . Most Auckland rolling stock is owned by AT, which funds and coordinates all services. In 2017,
13280-525: The eventual route. Four options were considered before the Minister of Public Works decided on the present route in 1884, but, when it was realised just how difficult that route was, further surveys considered two other options in 1888. Routes via Napier and Waitara were also considered, with surveying in Taranaki from 1883 to 1889. Construction of the final central section began on 15 April 1885, when paramount chief Wahanui of Ngāti Maniapoto turned
13440-552: The ferry and rolled off at the other side. This led to many benefits for NZR customers. Rail transport in New Zealand Rail transport in New Zealand is an integral part of New Zealand's transport network , with a nationwide network of 4,375.5 km (2,718.8 mi) of track linking most major cities in the North and South Islands, connected by inter-island rail and road ferries. Rail transport in New Zealand has
13600-411: The ferry service to Wellington ran in 1976. The 10.5 km line to Lyttelton was electrified from 1929 to 1970. There were worker's trains north to Rangiora; two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Dunedin had suburban trains to Port Chalmers and Mosgiel, withdrawn on 3 December 1982. The Invercargill to Bluff service stopped in 1967; in 1929 the sole Clayton steam railcar had been used. Trains ran
13760-676: The first sod outside Te Awamutu . It was 23 years before the two lines met, as the central section was difficult to survey and construct. The crossing of the North Island Volcanic Plateau with deep ravines required nine viaducts and the world-famous Raurimu Spiral . Richard Seddon ’s Liberal Government pledged in 1903 that the whole route would be open in 1908. In 1904, the railheads were still 146 km (91 mi) apart, and contracts for three massive viaducts (Makatote, Hapuawhenua and Taonui) were not let until 1905. The government committed 2500 workmen, and in 1907,
13920-502: The following year Parliament passed the Transport Licensing Act 1931 . The Act regulated the carriage of goods and entrenched the monopoly the department had on land transport. It set a minimum distance road transport operators could transport goods at 30 miles (48 km) before they had to be licensed. The Act was repealed in 1982. Alongside these changes, in 1931 the Railways Department was briefly restructured into
14080-542: The former General Manager, and had 10 members from around the country. The Board stopped building on the Dargaville branch , Gisborne line, Main South Line, Nelson Section, Okaihau to Rangiahua line and Westport-Inangahua line . For that it was criticised by Bob Semple , the new Minister of Public Works, in a speech in 1935 and abolished by the First Labour Government in 1936. In 1933 plans for
14240-431: The fuel consumption further. Electrification's advantages were reflected in the economic evaluation in the report, which showed a rate of return of 18%. Sensitivity analysis showed that this high rate of return gave the project robustness against lower traffic volumes than expected (the return remained positive even if traffic fell), against significant increases in construction cost, and against lower than expected rises in
14400-422: The government announced funding for a number of rail-related infrastructure projects, mainly in the Auckland region. A business case is progressing for a branch railway to be built from the North Auckland Line to Northport at Marsden Point . Freight is carried by KiwiRail and provides the majority of its revenue traffic. In the 2017–2018 financial year, freight contributed $ 350.7 million in revenue or 57% of
14560-401: The heavy X class locomotives used on the central mountainous section from 1908. Some 10 bridges between Frankton and Taumarunui had to be strengthened, and in 1914 there was still 129 km (80 mi) of 53 lb/yd rail to be replaced. In the 1930s 85 lb/yd (42.2 kg/m) was adopted, then 91 lb/yd (45.1 kg/m), and from 1974 100 lb/yd (50 kg/m). Signalling on
14720-399: The introduction of a new type of locomotive, the ill-fated G class Garratt locomotives in 1928. Three of the locomotives were introduced for operation on the North Island Main Trunk. They were not well suited to New Zealand conditions: they had overly complex valve gear , were too hot for crews manning them and too powerful for the wagons they were hauling. The failure of this class lead to
14880-461: The introduction of the K class in 1932. Tough economic conditions and increasing competition from road transport led to calls for regulation of the land transport sector. In 1931 it was claimed half a million tons of freight had been lost to road transport. That year, the department carried 7.2 million passengers per year, down from 14.2 million in 1923. In 1930 a Royal Commission on Railways recommended that land transport should be "co-ordinated" and
15040-569: The large cities of Palmerston North and Hamilton . Most of the NIMT is single track with frequent passing loops , but sections at each end also handling suburban commuter traffic are double tracked. The section known as the North-South Junction between Wellington and Waikanae , except for 3.3 km (2.1 mi) of single-track through tunnels between North Junction (35.3 km (21.9 mi) from Wellington) and South Junction, (32 km (20 mi) from Wellington), on
15200-400: The last of the northern and southern sections of NIMT had been opened. Auckland's first railway was the 13 km (8.1 mi) line between Point Britomart and Onehunga via Penrose, opened in 1873. It was built by Brogdens , as was the rest of the Auckland & Mercer Railway, for £166,000 for the 41 mi (66 km) to Mercer . The section from Penrose to Onehunga is now called
15360-411: The late 1930s, bridges replaced level crossings at Ohinewai, Taupiri and Hopuhopu . The double track Tawa Flat deviation opened to goods trains on 22 July 1935 and to passenger trains on 19 June 1937, bypassing the original single track WMR line between Wellington and Tawa . With a pair of tunnels under the Wellington hills, the deviation alleviated issues with more and heavier freight traffic on
15520-625: The line linking the ports of Foxton and Whanganui . In 1882, the Whitaker Ministry passed the North Island Main Trunk Railway Loan Act , to expedite construction of the North Island Main Trunk south of Te Awamutu by authorising the overseas borrowing of a million pounds (probably in London) for the work. From Te Awamutu, it was proposed that the line be built via Taupo or via Taumarunui ,
15680-555: The locomotives, but the final cost was about $ 250 million. The economics of the project was greatly undermined by the fall of the price of oil in the 1980s and the deregulation of land transport, which removed the long-distance monopoly NZR held when the cost-benefit report was written. The electrification of the section, which had its genesis in a study group set up in June 1974 to report on measures to be taken to cope with increasing rail traffic volumes, received approval in 1980. This led to
15840-441: The major freight terminals. One of the reasons often cited for these policies was that the cost of using road transport to Tranz Rail was less than that of using rail because the road infrastructure is provided as a public good , whereas the rail network was a private good . The government purchased the Auckland metropolitan rail network from Tranz Rail for $ 81 million in 2002. Tranz Rail retained time slots for freight trains, and
16000-542: The maximum speed limit on the NIMT was raised to 45 mph (72 km/h), reducing the journey time by 1 hour 25 minutes Auckland-Wellington or to 17 hours and between 30 and 45 minutes. Under Thomas Ronayne , the New Zealand Railways Department general manager from 1895 to 1913, the section south to Parnell was duplicated and improvements made to the worst gradients and tight curves between Auckland and Mercer. Under his successor E. H. Hiley
16160-646: The most powerful locomotive at the time. Gold rushes led to the construction of the Thames Branch , opening in 1898. In 1906 the Dunedin railway station was completed, architect George Troup . A. L. Beattie became Chief Mechanical Officer in April 1900. Beattie designed the famous A class , the Q class (the first "Pacific" type locomotive in the world), and many other locomotive classes. NZR's first bus operation began on 1 October 1907, between Culverden on
16320-475: The names New Zealand Government Railways or New Zealand Railways Department (NZR), and land transport was heavily regulated from 1931 onwards. NZR eventually expanded into other transport modes, especially with the Railways Road Services , inter-island ferries and Rail Air service. NZR also had an extensive network of workshops. By 1981, NZR employed 22,000 staff. In the early 1980s, NZR
16480-509: The national railway network and were often moved as the forest was cleared. The last bush tramway for logging native bush closed in 1974. Bush tramways should not be confused with urban street-cars , known in New Zealand as trams. In the 20th century, New Zealand cities had extensive tram networks. Most of these networks closed mid-century, being replaced by buses. There are now proposals in Auckland and Wellington for new light rail networks, New Zealand has no rapid transit metros. Following
16640-757: The need to relieve the steep (1 in 57) gradients from Plimmerton to the Pukerua Bay summit by a deviation to the east and allowed more frequent suburban passenger trains (and allowed suburban electric multiple units to run on this section from September 1949). The difficult section down the Paekakariki Escarpment from Pukerua Bay to Paekākāriki with five tunnels between South and North Junctions remains single track. Duplication from Tawa to Porirua opened on 15 December 1957, from Porirua to Paremata on 7 November 1960, and Paremata to Plimmerton on 16 October 1961. The section between Porirua and Plimmerton
16800-500: The north express from Wellington to Ohakune, then transferred to the southbound express, so avoiding the heavy gradients of the central section. The rails and signalling have been upgraded over the years, and many sections of the line have been deviated: The original 1870s Vogel Era track had rails of 40 lb/yd (19.9 kg/m), some were iron not steel; later rails were 53 lb/yd (26.3 kg/m); and from 1901 70 lb/yd (34.8 kg/m), e.g. between Taumarunui and Taihape for
16960-879: The number had decreased to 11.7 million. A number of services came to an end in the early 2000s, including the Waikato Connection between Hamilton and Auckland, the Kaimai Express between Auckland and Tauranga, the Geyserland Express between Auckland and Rotorua, the Bay Express between Wellington and Napier, the Southerner between Christchurch and Invercargill and the Northerner night service between Auckland and Wellington. Two further long distance scheduled passenger services,
17120-436: The number of tonnes of traffic gained in 2008–2009 compared to the amount of traffic hauled in the 2006–2007 year). In recent years, the amount of freight moved by rail has increased substantially and has started to gain market share in non-bulk areas as well. Freight on the North Island Main Trunk line between Auckland and Palmerston North saw an increase of 39% in freight volumes between 2006 and 2007. The five daily trains on
17280-553: The power available. Electrification of the NIMT was mooted by electrical engineer Evan Parry in the first volume of the New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology in November 1918. In light of a national coal shortage following World War I , Parry argued that the network was under great strain due to ever-increasing volumes of freight, and the use of steam traction was partly to blame. Parry also noted that there
17440-605: The provincial railways expanded. In 1867, the House of Representatives formed a select committee to investigate the issue, composed of members of parliament from all across New Zealand. The select committee heard evidence from railway engineers who proposed a number of options, including building main trunk lines at standard gauge, while using narrow gauge for branch lines. Engineers cited the experience of Queenland's railways , which had adopted narrow gauge in 1864. The select committee did not recommend making railway gauge uniform across
17600-560: The question of whether the provincial railways could keep their wider gauges, while narrow gauge railways were to be built. Member of the House of Representatives (MHR) James Crowe Richmond , who had worked on the Great Western Railway and in railways in Belgium, became the most prominent advocate for a uniform narrow gauge nationwide. In late 1869 Francis Dillon Bell MHR and Issac Featherston MHR (also superintendent of
17760-582: The rail infrastructure. Cited reasons included a "level playing field" for freight movements on road and rail, and ensuring access to the tracks for all interested parties. Toll Holdings of Australia made a successful takeover bid for Tranz Rail, subject to an agreement to sell back the infrastructure to the government for $ 1. In exchange, Toll was granted exclusive use of the rail network subject to minimum freight and passenger volumes, payment of track access charges and its own investment in new rolling stock. This transaction took place in July 2004, and Tranz Rail
17920-406: The railway had a virtual monopoly on land transport, prior to 1983. In 1980 11.8 million tonnes of freight was moved by rail, in 1994 this had decreased to 9.4 million tonnes. By 1999, tonnes carried had increased to 12.9 million tonnes, slightly more than the 1975 peak. In the 2006–2007 financial year, 13.7 million tonnes of freight were carried. This equated to 3.96 million net tonne kilometres (or
18080-477: The recently elected Labour -led Coalition government proposed to provide commuter rail in Christchurch and to provide long-distance commuter services from Auckland to Hamilton and Tauranga. Other cities (Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill and Napier-Hastings) once had suburban services, but they were withdrawn due to a lack of patronage. The Christchurch-Lyttelton suburban service was stopped in 1972 when passengers were down to "a busload". The last "boat train" for
18240-428: The required diesel locomotives. Auckland's network consists of four lines: Southern , Eastern , Western and Onehunga . All services on these lines are provided by AM class electric trains , the conversion from diesel being completed by the end of 2015 with the exception of the non-electrified section of track between Papakura and Pukekohe, where a diesel train shuttle service operates. Auckland One Rail operates
18400-685: The same voltage and current. This again saw English Electric supply locomotives, the EC class . Gordon Coates , on 24 October 1922, as Minister of Public Works, in introducing his Main Highways Act , said, “ I say the day will come when it will be found that through the use of motor transport certain railways in New Zealand will be relegated to a secondary place altogether, and probably will be torn up, and we shall have motor traffic taking their place .” Section 12 of that Act allowed for government borrowing and Section 19 required local councils to provide half
18560-741: The second Parnell Tunnel with two tracks and an easier gradient was completed in 1915–1916. On the Kakariki bank between Halcombe and Marton a deviation reduced the 1 in 53 grade to 1 in 70 in 1915. Similar work was done to ease the gradient to Greatford, on the other side of the Rangitīkei River, in 1939. A 1914 Act authorised spending on the Westfield Deviation , new stations at Auckland and Wellington, track doubling (Penrose-Papakura, Ohinewai-Huntly, Horotiu-Frankton, Newmarket-New Lynn), and grade easements from Penrose to Te Kuiti, but
18720-539: The second select committee to investigate whether a law was required for gauge uniformity met from that month. By majority the select committee reported back to the house in favour of narrow gauge being adopted as the uniform gauge nationwide, and allowing Canterbury Provincial Railways to continue to expand its broad-gauge network, with dual-gauge track where narrow gauge met broad gauge. William Sefton Moorhouse MHR, former superintendent of Canterbury Province and advocate for broad gauge, and William Rolleston MHR, at
18880-499: The services have been operated by Transdev Wellington . Prior to Transdev, KiwiRail's Tranz Metro division held the contract. Wellington's suburban rolling stock consists of electric multiple units , with diesel locomotive-hauled carriage trains used on the Wairarapa service. All of the rolling stock (except the diesel locomotives) is owned by Greater Wellington Rail Limited, a subsidiary of Greater Wellington Regional Council. Transdev Wellington contracts KiwiRail to provide and operate
19040-676: The single-track sections (most of the line) was controlled by Tyer's Electric Train Tablet No 7 system; with each of the stations for the 94 tablet sections staffed by three tablet porters each working a 56-hour week for continuous coverage; hence each station required at least four houses for the stationmaster and three porters. Pierre noticed that with CTC station buildings and even platforms had been removed as there were no longer any staffed stations between Ohakune and National Park. The Train Control system introduced from 1928 to 1932 supplemented
19200-565: The southern section of the NIMT from Wellington to Paekākāriki was completed. The Tawa Flat deviation has a long tunnel (Tawa No 2) not suitable for steam operation because of excessive smoke (although steam trains were temporarily operated in the new deviation from 1935). A Centralised Train Control (CTC) system was installed in 1940, so that new signal boxes were not required and five stations between Tawa and Pukerua Bay no longer had to be continually staffed for Tablet operation; see Kapiti Line and North–South Junction . Electrification eliminated
19360-618: The start of 2008. Instead of concluding a final track access agreement with Toll, in 2008 the government purchased the rail and ferry assets for $ 690 million, effective 1 July 2008. The new organisation created to operate services on the rail network was named KiwiRail . Ownership of the national rail network is vested in KiwiRail Holdings Limited, with land owned by the New Zealand Railways Corporation. KiwiRail Network (formerly ONTRACK)
19520-520: The steep and twisting original route where long sections at 1 in 60 gradient required banker engines. The Wellington to Johnsonville section of the original line was retained as the Johnsonville Line and the Johnsonville to Tawa section closed. The North-South Junction section from Plimmerton to South Junction, north of Pukerua Bay and Muri, and North Junction to Paekākāriki were duplicated in 1940. From 24 July 1940 electrification at 1500 V DC of
19680-431: The suburban passenger rolling stock and contract the operation of services to a third-party, in both cases Transdev . The Wellington suburban network has five lines: Johnsonville , Kapiti , Melling , Hutt Valley and Wairarapa . In 1938, Wellington became the second city (after the Christchurch service to Lyttelton) to have electric suburban trains, and from 1970 to 2014 was the only city with them. From July 2016,
19840-476: The system and Aickin was able to complete a substantial report justifying the NIMT electrification and submit it to the Government. Officers from New Zealand Treasury and the Ministry of Works and two experts from Sweden (Thelander and Edenius) commented on the proposal and in December 1950 the Government granted approval in principle and agreed to appoint Thelander as a consultant. Aickin later fell out with
20000-402: The tablet system by operators at the four sections (Auckland, Frankton, Te Kuiti, Ohakune, Marton and Wellington) to expedite operation of trains over several tablet sections; the 1925 Fay-Raven report urged its adoption because of the fitful progress of mixed trains, with locomotives often kept waiting. From 1938 to 1966 Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) gradually replaced the tablet system on
20160-653: The then ECMT, the Taneatua Branch , was also completed. Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) was installed from Taumaranui to Auckland at the same time. In 1946 the last class of steam locomotives built by NZR was introduced, the J class . Due to coal shortages the K , J , K , J classes of steam locomotives were converted from coal to oil burning. Following the war, NZR contracted the Royal New Zealand Air Force from 1947 to ship inter-island freight across Cook's Strait between Paraparaumu in
20320-411: The then National Government and retired as General Manager in July 1951. With the change in regime, the electrification proposal disappeared. A key assumption of Aickin's report was that traffic on the NIMT would grow by 50% from 1948 to 1961. Since a diesel-electric locomotive is a travelling power station, the savings through electrification compared to diesel could be regarded as the difference between
20480-715: The time superintendent of Canterbury Province, were in the minority on the select committee opposing the legislation. Despite this opposition, Parliament passed the Railways Act 1870 in September 1870, requiring all railways to be built or converted to narrow gauge, with an exemption of the Christchurch-Rakaia section of Canterbury Provincial Railways. Sections of the Canterbury railway network were converted to dual-gauge, including Rakaia to Lyttleton, with new branch lines built to narrow gauge. By 1878, all of
20640-491: The two urban rail systems being upgraded. In 2021, the government launched the New Zealand Rail Plan, with funding for rail projects to come from National Land Transport Fund (NLTF), with KiwiRail remaining an SOE but paying Track Access Charges (TACs) to use the network. Railway lines were initially constructed by the provincial governments of New Zealand from 1863 onwards. New Zealand's first public railway
20800-509: The various provincial railways. Since the Public Works Department was charged with constructing new railway lines (among other public works) the day to day railway operations were transferred into a new government department on the recommendation of a parliamentary select committee. At the time 1,828 kilometres (1,136 miles) of railway lines were open for traffic, 546 km (339 mi) in the North Island and 1,283 km (797 mi) in
20960-517: The war led to the creation of Railways Department's Housing Scheme in 1922. The first of the now-iconic railway houses were prefabricated in a factory in Frankton for NZR staff. This scheme was shut down in 1929 as it was considered improper for a government department to compete with private builders. The Otira Tunnel was completed in 1923, heralding the completion of the Midland Line in
21120-618: The war. For the first time, the Department employed significant numbers of women to meet the shortages. The war created serious coal shortages as imported coal was no longer available. Despite this, NZR had record revenues in 1940. Despite the war and associated labour and material shortages, new railway construction continued. In 1942 the Gisborne Line was finally opened, followed by the Main North Line between Picton and Christchurch being completed in 1945. The final section of
21280-466: Was electrified between 1984 and 1988 as part of the Think Big government energy program. Some tunnels were opened out or bypassed by deviations while in others clearances were increased, and curves eased. The section between Ohakune and Horopito was realigned with three viaducts replaced to handle higher loads and speeds. The most notable bridge replaced was the curved metal viaduct at Hapuawhenua by
21440-486: Was a substantial rationalisation of freight facilities; many stations and smaller yards were closed and freight train services were sped up, increased in length and made heavier, with the removal of guard's vans in 1987 and the gradual elimination of older rolling stock, particularly four-wheeled wagons. In 1987, the Railways Corporation became a state-owned enterprise , required to make a profit. In 1990,
21600-684: Was accused of deliberately running down some lines through lack of maintenance. The Midland Line for example, which mostly carries coal from the West Coast to Lyttelton, was assessed to be in a safe but poor state by the LTSA government safety body in 2003, and has needed major repairs. Tranz Rail was accused of forcing freight onto the roads, and in 2002 introduced a containerisation scheme that assumed that most freight would be carried in containers on unit trains made up of fixed consists of flat deck wagons. Container loading depots were constructed at
21760-490: Was an ambitious politician who had an almost "religious zeal" for his portfolio. During the summer of 1923, he spent the entire parliamentary recess inspecting the department's operations. The following year, he put forward a "Programme of Improvements and New Works'". Coates scheme proposed spending £8 million over 8 years. This was later expanded to £10 million over 10 years. The programme included: An independent commission, led by Sir Sam Fay and Sir Vincent Raven produced
21920-702: Was appointed General Manager in 1933, and worked hard to improve the standard and range of services provided by the Department. This included a number of steps to make passenger trains faster, more efficient and cheaper to run. In the early 20th century, NZR had begun investigating railcar technology to provide passenger services on regional routes and rural branch lines where carriage trains were not economic and "mixed" trains (passenger carriages attached to freight trains) were undesirably slow. However, due to New Zealand's rugged terrain overseas technology could not simply be directly introduced. A number of experimental railcars and railbuses were developed. From 1925 these included
22080-402: Was chosen due to the need to cross mountainous terrain in the country's interior and the lower cost of construction. Due to multiple rail gauges being used by railways built by provincial governments, the prospect of a similar break of gauge problem to Australia (where narrow, standard and broad gauge railways were built by different colonial governments) became a major political issue as
22240-600: Was closed on 7 August 1908 for the first through passenger train, the 11-car Parliamentary Special carrying the Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward and other parliamentarians north to see the American Great White Fleet at Auckland. But much of the new section was temporary, with some cuttings north of Taonui having vertical batters and unballasted track from Horopito to Makatote. Ward drove the last spike on 6 November 1908, and
22400-603: Was completed as part of the upgrade and expansion of the Wellington suburban network; see Kapiti Line for more information. In 2012–13, four bridges near Rangiriri between Auckland and Hamilton were replaced. The bridges were all over 100 years old with steel spans and timber piers, and were replaced by modern low-maintenance concrete ballast deck bridges. Bridges 479, 480, 481 & 482 were replaced, with lengths of 40 metres (131 ft 3 in), 40 metres (131 ft 3 in), 30 metres (98 ft 5 in) and 18 metres (59 ft 1 in) respectively. The construction of
22560-467: Was completed between Christchurch and Dunedin in 1878, later extended to Invercargill the following year. The North Island Main Trunk , linking capital city Wellington with the largest city Auckland , opened in 1908 after 23 years of construction. At the network's peak in 1952, about 100 branch lines were operating. Large-scale closures of branch railway lines began in the 1960s and 1970s. The network
22720-409: Was corporatised as the New Zealand Railways Corporation and drastically restructured, especially following the deregulation of land transport in 1983. The Corporation became a state-owned enterprise (SOE) in 1987, required to run at a profit. In 1991, the rail, inter-island ferry and infrastructure businesses of the Railways Corporation were split off into a new SOE, New Zealand Rail Limited , which
22880-415: Was doubled from 11 November 1951, Pukekohe to Pokeno 21 November 1954, Mercer to Amokura 1 July 1956 and Ohinewai to Te Kauwhata 14 December 1958. The 13 km (8.1 mi) between Amokura and Te Kauwhata remain single track, as does Ngāruawāhia bridge. Doubling of the section south of Amokura is being investigated in a business case from July 2021. In 1930, the Westfield deviation was opened, creating
23040-592: Was exempted from the Transport Licensing Act, effectively opening the sector up to competition. The introduction of GMV Aramoana in 1962 heralded the start of inter-island ferry services run by NZR. The service was very successful, leading to criticism, when the Wellington–Lyttelton overnight ferry was withdrawn, that NZR was competing unfairly with private operators. Before the Aramoana
23200-564: Was great potential for cheap hydro-electricity generation in the central North Island to power electrification. The first part of the NIMT to be electrified was the Wellington – Paekakariki section via the Tawa Flat deviation that was completed on 24 July 1940. This was largely to prevent smoke nuisance in the 4.3 km No. 2 tunnel, and to provide for banking on the Paekakariki to Pukerua Bay section. Electric traction in this section
23360-496: Was in turn privatised in 1993, and renamed Tranz Rail in 1995. The parcels and bus service business units were also privatised, and the Railways Corporation continued to dispose of surplus land. The central government renationalised first the Auckland metro railway network in 2001, then the rest of the network in 2004, and finally the rail and ferry operations in 2008, creating another SOE, KiwiRail . Today, services are primarily provided by KiwiRail and focused on bulk freight, with
23520-458: Was initially protected from road transport competition under the Transport Licensing Act 1931 , but this protection was gradually eased until its total abolition in 1983, along with the deregulation of the land transport industry. The networks of the North and South Islands were independent of one another until the introduction of the inter-island roll-on roll-off rail ferry service in 1962 by
23680-432: Was introduced, NZR could not compete for inter-island freight business, and the rail networks of both the North and South Islands were not well integrated. To send goods between the islands, freight had to be unloaded from wagons onto a ship on one island, unloaded at the other and then loaded back into wagons to resume its journey by rail. The introduction of a roll-on roll-off train ferry changed that. Wagons were rolled onto
23840-451: Was launched in April 2021, confirming funding for rail projects from the NLTF, and the use of Track Access Charges (TACs) for users of the rail network, including KiwiRail. Some specific projects were also outlined as possibilities: The City Rail Link is an underground rail line currently under construction linking Waitematā railway station to Maungawhau railway station in Auckland and
24000-540: Was mothballed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since restarted with a reduced timetable. Mixed trains were "once the backbone of the New Zealand railway passenger system" on branch and even main lines, but the last scheduled mixed train ran between Whangarei and Opua on 6 June 1977. With a "rake of assorted wagons" and one or two passenger carriages, often listed as "goods with car" in timetables, they were slow, often stopping and shunting wagons en route. In
24160-399: Was not handed over to NZR until 1900. By that time, 3,200 km (2,000 mi) of railway lines were open for traffic. The acquisition in 1908 of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company and its railway line marked the completion of the North Island Main Trunk from Wellington to Auckland. A new locomotive class, the X class , was introduced in 1909 for traffic on the line. The X class was
24320-639: Was opened in that year, running the short distance between Christchurch and the wharf at Ferrymead and built by the Canterbury Provincial Railways . The Canterbury Provincial Railways were built to the broad gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ). In February 1867, Southland Province opened a branch from Invercargill to Bluff to the international standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ). 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge (internationally known as narrow gauge)
24480-659: Was opened on 1 January 1873 in the Otago Province , the Port Chalmers Branch under the auspices of the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway Company Limited. Auckland's first railway, between Auckland and Onehunga , opened in December 1873. Vogel also arranged for Brogdens of England to undertake several rail construction contracts, to be built by "Brogden's Navvies" recruited in England. Vogel's vision of
24640-474: Was opened to service a new pulp and paper mill at its terminus. NZR's first single-purpose log trains, called "express loggers", began to operate on this branch. The Kinleith Branch was shortly followed in 1957 by the 57 kilometres (35 mi) long Murupara Branch , which was opened running through the Bay of Plenty 's Kaingaroa Forest . The branch is the last major branch line to open in New Zealand to date. The line
24800-558: Was primarily built to service the Tasman Pulp and Paper Mill in Kawerau , with several loading points along its length. The line's success led to several Taupo Railway Proposals being put forward, with extensions of the branch being mooted at various times. In 1960 the second Christchurch railway station , at Moorhouse Avenue, was opened. The station was closed in 1990, with a new station being built at Addington. In 1961, livestock
24960-435: Was renamed Toll New Zealand . The government committed $ 200 million of taxpayer funding for deferred maintenance and capital improvements via a new subsidiary of the New Zealand Railways Corporation, ONTRACK. An interim agreement was signed by Toll NZ for track access; Toll paid a nominal track access charge while negotiating a final agreement with ONTRACK. These negotiations did not progress and eventually went to arbitration at
25120-462: Was sold for $ 328.3 million to a consortium named Pylorus Investments Limited. In 1995 the new owners adopted the name Tranz Rail and listed the company on the New Zealand stock market and NASDAQ . Rail freight volumes increased between 1993 and 2000 from 8.5m net tonnes to 14.99m net tonnes carried annually, and then gradually fell until 2003 to 13.7m tonnes. Freight volumes then increased again to 16.1m tonnes carried annually in 2012. Tranz Rail
25280-572: Was still building steam locomotives until 1956, when the last steam locomotive built by NZR, J1274, was completed at Hillside Workshops , Dunedin . The locomotive is now preserved in Dunedin near the railway station. During the 1950s New Zealand industry was diversifying, particularly into the timber industry. On 6 October 1952 the Kinleith Branch , formerly part of the Taupo Totara Timber Company Railway ,
25440-462: Was straightened in conjunction with the duplication by reclaiming land along the eastern shore of Porirua Harbour. In 1967, the floors of the tunnels on the former WMR section between Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay were lowered to enable the D class locomotives to travel all the way to Wellington. Between 1964 and 1966, a deviation away from the centre of Palmerston North via the Milson deviation on
25600-483: Was the Canterbury Provincial Railways , which opened the first public railway at Ferrymead on 1 December 1863. During The Vogel Era of the late 1860s to the 1870s, railway construction by central government expanded greatly, from just 80 kilometres (50 miles) in 1869 to 1,900 kilometres (1,200 miles) in 1880. Following the abolition of the provinces in 1877, the Public Works Department took over
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