90-498: The Terrace Tunnel takes the Wellington Urban Motorway (SH1) under The Terrace in central Wellington , New Zealand. Opened in 1978, it is 460 metres in length. The tunnel has three traffic lanes, one southbound and two northbound. The merge towards single southbound lane causes frequent congestion during peak periods rush hour . However flows at the southern end of the tunnel have improved somewhat since
180-599: A Fell brake van and other railway-related items of historical significance. The Woodside Station Preservation Society focuses its activities on the Woodside railway station Building. The Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society focuses its activities on the Historic Carterton railway station complex, which includes a museum inside Carterton's historic station building, rolling stock in the station yard , and other heritage items. The Pahiatua Railcar Society
270-712: A branch line to Martinborough was proposed but this line never eventuated. Several upgrades and alterations to the Wairarapa Line have been made, but only the Western Hutt and Rimutaka tunnel deviations have significantly altered its route. In 1925, construction began on what was then known as the Hutt Valley Branch , leaving the main line just north of Petone station and running east to Waterloo , opening on 26 May 1927. After World War II , new state housing suburbs developed north of Waterloo, and
360-507: A committee to investigate proposals, and on 2 July 1866, it passed the Wellington, Hutt and Wairarapa Railway Ordinance. The act authorised a railway employing either 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) or 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge to carry 200 tonnes at speeds of 24 kilometres per hour (15 mph), but construction did not commence as sufficient funds were not available in
450-530: A large vault underneath a memorial lawn at the cemetery, while others were reinterred at other cemeteries. Salvaged gravestones were shifted to other parts of the cemetery. A footbridge (the Denis McGrath Bridge, named for the deputy mayor) was built over the motorway to link the two now-separate halves of the cemetery. Shell Gully is an elevated stretch of the motorway extending from just south of Aurora Terrace to Boulcott Street, passing through
540-578: A longer loop at Upper Hutt will hold longer Wairarapa log trains. The work is expected to improve the operation of both suburban passenger trains to Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa Connection . Until the acquisition of the WMR in December 1908, all NZR freight out of Wellington was carried on the Wairarapa Line. As soon as the western route became available, all freight that could be diverted off
630-493: A narrow gully between the Terrace and the hillside. Two carriageways were built at different levels and slightly overlapping to fit them into the narrow space in the gully. Short bridges pass over the motorway at Boulcott Street and Everton Street. There is an on-ramp at Clifton Terrace and an off-ramp to the Terrace. A two-storey public car park sits underneath the motorway in this area. Earthquake strengthening of this section of
720-561: A new Vivian Street off-ramp along the line of the former on-ramp. In 2016 the Wellington Urban Motorway, along with State Highway 1 to Johnsonville and State Highway 2 to Petone, became New Zealand's first ' smart motorway '. Speed limits are adjusted automatically according to the amount of traffic on the road, with the aim of smoothing out the flow of traffic. The project was budgeted at $ 55.8 million, but actually cost $ 88 million because design changes were made after
810-580: A new on-ramp underneath Vivian St. Closure of the Vivian St on-ramp and construction of a new off-ramp at Vivian St. Vivian St would be converted to one-way eastbound operation between Willis St and Taranaki St. The Ghuznee St off-ramp would be closed and Ghuznee St reverted to two-way operation. Stage 2 was seen as a medium-term measure, providing sufficient relief for ten years before consideration of Stage 3. Stage 3. Construction of an almost entirely cut-and-cover grade-separated arterial tunnel highway from
900-451: A parallel three-lane tunnel exclusively for southbound traffic (with the existing tunnel built for northbound traffic only). The motorway was intended to be extended to Mount Victoria Tunnel which would also have been duplicated. However this proposal was shelved in the early 1970s as the rising cost of building the single tunnel ruled out duplication for the foreseeable future and the extension beyond Willis Street. The cut in funding sees
990-410: A railcar service operated on Friday evenings between Masterton and Woodville, and in December that year the decision was taken to replace the morning railcar to Wellington with a carriage train as over 200 passengers wished to use the railcar service that had a capacity of just 176. The final railcar service was replaced by carriage trains in December 1977; some of the carriage trains from this point until
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#17327867472921080-529: A railway along the narrow, rocky shoreline of Wellington Harbour , and the section to Lower Hutt was not opened until 14 April 1874. Further difficulties were encountered in building the rest of the route up the Hutt Valley along the Hutt River 's western bank, including the need to divert the river and reinforce its bank in places. On 1 February 1876 the line opened to Upper Hutt . On 28 December 1877
1170-538: A steep but manageable route with a grade of 1 in 39-40 was found from Kaitoke up the Pakuratahi River valley to the site of Summit station, 348 metres (1,142 ft) above sea level. However, from Summit down the eastern slope to Cross Creek near Featherston , a gradient of 1 in 14-16 was required. This was far too steep for regular steam locomotives to handle, and accordingly the Fell mountain railway system
1260-999: Is 24 kilometres (15 mi) from the bridge and the railway reached it in August 1897, and the line was finally opened to Woodville and a junction with the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line on 11 December 1897. Four branch lines diverge from the Wairarapa Line: the Melling Branch and the Gracefield Branch to Hutt Workshops , both still open; the Greytown Branch , closed in 1953, and the Hutt Park Railway , which ceased serving its intended purpose in 1906 but survived in truncated form as an industrial siding until 1982. At one time
1350-479: Is 460 metres long with three traffic lanes. It was provided with mechanical ventilation and carbon monoxide detectors, and the lighting automatically adjusted according to the brightness of the day outside. Between 2010 and 2012, the tunnel was upgraded with new safety features including a deluge system for firefighting, improved ventilation, lighting, traffic management including detection of over-height vehicles, and earthquake-safety improvements. In 2024, LED lighting
1440-530: Is almost complete with one exception, the Bowen Street off-ramp which would have been a counter-clockwise loop splitting off from the Tinakori Road off-ramp. A section of the Tinakori Road off-ramp has a different type of barrier to the rest of the off-ramp, showing where it would have been. Funding for the second tunnel was indefinitely shelved in the 1970s due to fiscal pressures on government, and
1530-451: Is at Pahiatua railway station , which is no longer served by passenger trains but maintained by the society. It has the only surviving Wairarapa and 88-seater railcars and is restoring them to operational condition; it also has an operational Standard railcar . Kaiwharawhara Station was closed suddenly in June 2013 as it was discovered how badly corroded the overbridge was. In November 2013,
1620-638: Is currently under restoration by the Pahiatua Railcar Society . Mixed trains also operated until the 1950s. In the 1950s, the Hutt Valley line was electrified using the 1500 V DC system already operating from Wellington to Johnsonville and Paekākāriki . The electrification was opened to Taitā on 12 October 1953 and Upper Hutt on 24 July 1955, allowing for a more intensive suburban commuter service to Wellington. Originally operated by DM/D class electric multiple units and carriage trains hauled by ED and EW class electric locomotives,
1710-527: Is still in use by heritage operators, particularly the Pahiatua Railcar Society and Steam Incorporated . The Masterton—Pahiatua section will be temporary reopened between December 2024 and February 2025 to enable the Waingawa logging traffic to be diverted via Woodville and Palmerston North, due to track upgrades requiring a 46-day closure of the Remutaka Tunnel. In the late nineteenth century,
1800-708: Is the main road into and out of Wellington , New Zealand. It is 7 km long, ranges from three to seven lanes wide, and extends from the base of the Ngauranga Gorge into the Wellington CBD. From the Ngauranga Interchange (State Highways 1 & 2), the motorway travels south across reclaimed land alongside the Wairarapa and North Island Main Trunk railway lines. After passing through
1890-655: Is via the Wellington Inner City Bypass . In order to ensure that the tunnel continues to operate effectively the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is upgrading the fire fighting, lighting, ventilation and drainage systems, building new tunnel control buildings and making some earthquake safety improvements. This work will extend the working life of the Terrace Tunnel. The upgrade finished in 2012. Upgrade works were being completed by
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#17327867472921980-704: The DBR , DF/DFT and DX classes occasionally used. In July 2015, the DFT class took over services on the line. As of November 2021, rolling stock regularly used on the Wairarapa Line include: Improvements planned for the Wairarapa Line beyond Upper Hutt from 2021 to 2024 include track renewals with full renewal in the Remutaka and Maoribank tunnels, renewals of timber elements in three bridges, refurbishments of some level crossings and drainage and vegetation clearing. In November 2021, Greater Wellington Regional Council proposed
2070-821: The Napier Express (the WMR had operated the Wellington- Longburn portion of the New Plymouth Express ). After the acquisition of the WMR, the Napier Express was re-routed to the quicker west coast route in early 1909 and the Wairarapa Mail was introduced to provide a regular service through the Wairarapa to Woodville. In 1936, RM class Wairarapa railcars were introduced; these were designed to operate at speed over
2160-478: The Palmerston North - Gisborne Line at Woodville , via Lower Hutt , Upper Hutt and Masterton . The first part of the line opened in 1874 between Wellington and Lower Hutt, with the entire line to Woodville completed in 1897. It was the only New Zealand Government Railways route out of Wellington until 1908, when the government bought out the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company who owned and operated
2250-662: The Silver Stream Railway where members restoring three Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company carriages. It also has an archives building beside Ava railway station in Lower Hutt. The Silver Stream Railway is a heritage railway in Silversteam, Wellington. It regularly operates preserved New Zealand Railways Department locomotives along a restored section of the Hutt Valley Line (part of
2340-483: The Wairarapa Connection service between Wellington and Masterton. KiwiRail runs regular freight services along the line between Wellington to Masterton and between Pahiatua and Woodville. No regular services currently run along the Masterton to Pahiatua section, and this section is currently under review as part of KiwiRail's turnaround plan . The Labour Party promised during the 2017 election campaign to upgrade
2430-603: The 150-metre (490 ft) long Wiwaka tunnel, the only tunnel between the Rimutaka Incline and Woodville, and the section was opened on 8 April 1889. Construction of the 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) section to Newman was inexplicably slow, not completed until 1896. Pahiatua was reached in May 1897, including the Mangatainoka River bridge, the longest bridge on the line at 162 metres (531 ft). Mangatainoka
2520-409: The 1990s, the service between Masterton and Wellington was rebranded as the Wairarapa Connection and presently operates five times each way weekdays (with a sixth service in the evening on Fridays), and twice each way on weekends and public holidays. In 2007, eighteen new SW class carriages were introduced to replace the 56ft carriages used since the service's inception; in 2013, they were joined by
2610-463: The Carterton loop may need reinstating at some time for more frequent trains. The New Zealand Upgrade Programme announced on 30 January 2020 included passing loops at Carterton, Featherston and Maymorn and a second platform at Featherston. It is planned to have up to 7 peak services from Masterton at 15-minute intervals. Proposals for railed transportation out of Wellington were made as early as
2700-532: The Hawkestone Street off-ramp in 1972. Hundreds of old houses in Thorndon, including one of Katherine Mansfield's family homes, were demolished to make way for the motorway, with no assistance given to displaced tenants and homeowners. Public protest over the destruction of the suburb eventually led to Thorndon becoming New Zealand’s first built heritage conservation area. Other protestors questioned
2790-465: The Hutt River, replacing a section of line now used by Silver Stream Railway The Rimutaka Incline was difficult, costly and time-consuming to operate, but as the Wairarapa Line had become a secondary route since the acquisition of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway in 1908, its replacement was not a priority. Various alternate systems and routes were debated, with a tunnel chosen in 1936. However,
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2880-664: The Hutt Road into Wellington and in the city itself. In the 1950s the National Roads Board , an arm of the Ministry of Works , began the search for better road access into the heart of Wellington. In 1955 Wellington City Council's City Engineer proposed that an elevated expressway be built along the waterfront, but this was deemed too expensive. Construction of a motorway between Ngauranga and Aotea Quay began in 1959 with earthmoving works and reclamation. Also in 1959,
2970-434: The Hutt Road south of Ngauranga, and making the Wellington Urban Motorway between Ngauranga and Aotea Quay both State Highway 1 and 2. While the Ngauranga Interchange relieved the severe congestion experienced at the traffic light controlled intersection at Ngauranga, it did double the usage of the rest of the motorway, generating peak-time congestion at the end of the motorway, and in the morning peaks with merging traffic from
3060-564: The Hutt. Meanwhile, the original plans to extend the motorway beyond Willis Street had been significantly reviewed, with a new plan for an "arterial extension" at a 70 km/h standard proposed along the motorway alignment towards the existing Mount Victoria Tunnel (the original full motorway plan had been scrapped, as it would have meant the destruction of the Basin Reserve, and an unaffordable duplicate Mount Victoria Tunnel). That plan
3150-528: The Ministry of Works put a proposal to Wellington City Council for a motorway through the city along the western foothills, and plans were submitted to the National Roads Board in June 1960. U.S. consultants De Leuw Cather were engaged late in 1960 to design a motorway scheme and advise on traffic improvements within the city. De Leuw Cather's report was released in August 1963. It assumed that
3240-612: The Molesworth Street Bridge. The last major extension was completed in 1978, with the construction of the Terrace Tunnel and the termination of the motorway at the Ghuznee and Vivian Street intersections with Willis Street. The motorway was officially opened on 31 May 1978 by Prime Minister Robert Muldoon. Between Ngauranga and Vivian Street, the motorway had five on-ramps, five off-ramps, 11 bridges crossing over it and six bridges underneath it. The cost to that date
3330-528: The Ngauranga – Thorndon motorway that was already under construction would be completed, and proposed to connect to it with either a 'waterfront' motorway along Aotea Quay, Waterloo Quay and Jervois Quay to Kent Terrace, or a 'foothill' motorway crossing Thorndon and the city to the Basin Reserve and Mt Victoria Tunnel. The foothill motorway was De Leuw Cather's preferred option, in line with the council's previously stated preference. The alignment and scale of
3420-578: The Rimutaka Incline and provided a much quicker service to Wellington and local Wairarapa services. They originally augmented the Wairarapa Mail but replaced it in 1948. Carriage trains operated only at peak times of the year when the railcar capacity was exceeded; in 1955, the Incline's closure meant the Wairarapa railcars were withdrawn and 88 seater railcars were introduced, boosting capacity at off-peak times. One Wairarapa railcar has survived and
3510-491: The Roads of National Significance upgrade plan. The government announced its preferred option which included finishing the second Terrace tunnel, and duplicating the nearby Mt Victoria tunnel as one major project with multiple stages. The NZTA has been instructed to prepare an investment case for its board to consider approving mid 2025. Wellington Urban Motorway The Wellington Urban Motorway , part of State HIghway 1 ,
3600-457: The Terrace Tunnel to Mt Victoria Tunnel, resembling the 1980s "arterial extension" proposal. This was seen as the long-term proposal. Between 1995 and 2002, Transit New Zealand pursued the Stage 2 proposal, which became known as the Wellington Inner City Bypass . Given the appeals and opposition to Stage 2 from some groups, Transit quietly shelved further work on Stage 3 as it focused on completing
3690-478: The Tinakori Road on-ramp and Hawkestone Street off-ramp going south, the motorway is a considerably scaled down concept from what was initially proposed, and it was never extended as far as the Basin Reserve. The first phase of the motorway was a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) section between Ngauranga and Aotea Quay which began with reclamation works in 1959 and opened in April 1968 as part of State Highway 2. This relieved
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3780-673: The Trentham–Upper Hutt–Featherston section being transferred to Train Control in February 2007, this was the last section with CTC controlled by a signalman . Part-time signal boxes remained at Petone (weekday peak and inter-peak) and at Taitā (weekday peak) until December 2013 and July 2014 respectively, when signalling was switched to Train Control in central Wellington. Masterton is a unique signalling arrangement with Track Warrant Control ending at 'TWC Ends' boards north of
3870-526: The Wairarapa Line was diverted, due to the difficulties created by the Rimutaka Incline. This meant that even some traffic from the northern Wairarapa was sent through the Manawatū Gorge and down the west coast to Wellington. The opening of the Rimutaka Tunnel made the line more desirable for through freight traffic, but as localised freight gave way to containerised inter-city freight in the 1980s,
3960-617: The Wairarapa Line was the only way D class locomotives could access Wellington due to tunnels south of Paekākāriki being too small. In the 1980s, the DG class had been fully withdrawn and the DA class in the process of withdrawal or conversion to the DC class ; accordingly motive power on the Wairarapa Line changed. Until 2015, the DC class was the mainstay of the Wairarapa line south of Masterton, with locomotives of
4050-485: The Wairarapa Line), deviated in 1954. The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is based at Maymorn railway station and its ultimate goal is to return the Rimutaka Incline to full operational condition as a tourist attraction. The Fell Engine Museum is a short walk from Featherston station and includes preserved H 199, the sole Fell steam locomotive ( NZR H class ) left in the world. The museum also has
4140-541: The Wellington Tunnels Alliance formed by Leighton Contractors , Sinclair Knight Merz , Aecom and NZTA. The corridor incorporating the tunnel is part of the wider study being undertaken by the NZTA. Future duplication of the tunnel is currently being investigated. In November 2024, the government announced that the NZTA had been instructed to begin the process of developing an investment case under
4230-474: The beginning of far greater scrutiny of the quality of highway expenditure. It was clear that until the Wellington Urban Motorway was connected to State Highway 1 at Ngauranga Gorge, a single Terrace Tunnel would be adequate for the traffic demands of the 1970s. The Ngauranga Interchange connecting the motorway to State Highway 1 to the north opened in 1984, removing the State Highway designation from
4320-551: The branch on 14 May 1880 until the bridging of the Waiohine a month later. Later in 1880, the line opened all the way through to Masterton. The northern Wairarapa was more rugged and isolated, and construction was slower and more difficult. Mauriceville , 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Masterton, was reached on 14 June 1886, followed by the next 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to Mangamahoe on 10 January 1887. The 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) between Mangamahoe and Eketāhuna included
4410-637: The carriage trains and many of the DM/D units were phased out upon the introduction of the "Ganz-Mavag" EM/ET class units in the early 1980s. The "Matangi" FP/FT class was introduced on the Hutt Valley Line in 2011–12, initially relegating the Ganz Mavag units to peak services only before being completely replacing them from 2015. Railcar services were withdrawn in 1977, and carriage trains were re-instated progressively from early 1964. Until 1963,
4500-600: The chronic congestion at the traffic signal controlled intersections at the bottom of Ngauranga Gorge and Ngaio Gorge where long delays and peak time queues of several kilometres occurred during the morning and evening peaks. This section included several traffic overbridges, a rail access tunnel for the Gear Meat Company and the Ngauranga Railway Bridge. The motorway was extended in phases: to Murphy Street in 1969, May Street in 1970 and to
4590-580: The construction of the Rimutaka Tunnel to replace the Rimutaka Incline. Part of the former route west of the Hutt River has been retained as the Melling Branch . The southern portion of the line between Wellington and Upper Hutt is electrified and is also known as the Hutt Valley Line . Transdev on behalf of the Greater Wellington Regional Council runs suburban services along the Hutt Valley section, as well as
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#17327867472924680-492: The design of the motorway abruptly reduce from about the Bowen Street overbridge as six lanes are curtailed to three lanes. Appraisal of expected traffic flows also indicated that the second tunnel would not be needed for many years. Some of the pillars for the second tunnel approaches are visible in the Clifton Terrace car park adjacent to the cable car line, as is some of the approach road which currently forms part of
4770-550: The economic conditions left from the Great Depression followed by the impact of World War II meant that work on the tunnel did not start until 1948. The Incline and the line up the western side of the Rimutakas closed on 29 October 1955 and the tunnel opened on 3 November 1955. When the full line opened in 1897, passenger services from the Hutt Valley to Wellington were augmented by NZR's first express from Wellington,
4860-443: The first in the early hours of the morning and the second in the afternoon. No freights currently operate regularly at weekends. KiwiRail ceased running timetabled revenue services on the Masterton–Pahiatua section of the line in February 2015, transferring the Sunday Wellington to Palmerston North via Woodville run to the NIMT. However, they have undertaken to keep it open and maintain it to an operational standard, in part because it
4950-408: The first members of the K class to operate in the North Island were transferred from the South Island to work the Napier Express. They were augmented by members of the M and N classes. In the twentieth century, typical locomotives included members of the A and A class. The Rimutaka Incline was almost always operated by the six members of the H class built specifically for it. In 1906 E 66
5040-431: The fledgling New Zealand colony, nor were they successfully raised in England . In 1870, Julius Vogel included a Wellington-Wairarapa railway in his Great Public Works Policy and visited London to arrange a loan to finance the policy. On this trip, he was approached by several contracting firms and a contract that included the first section of the Wairarapa Line was awarded to Brogden & Sons . The construction of
5130-422: The lack of effectiveness of the new system. The motorway is the subject of the ongoing Ngauranga to Airport Strategic Study , which is investigating Wellington's future transport growth needs. Wairarapa Line The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand . The line runs for 172 kilometres (107 mi), connects the capital city Wellington with
5220-405: The line can be considered in three stages: the Hutt Valley section, the route over the Rimutakas, and the line through the Wairarapa via Masterton to Woodville . On 20 August 1872, construction of the Wairarapa Line began with the turning of the first sod at Pipitea Point , the site of Wellington's first railway station. Construction was delayed due to the difficulties associated with building
5310-411: The line to Kaitoke was officially opened by the Governor,. On 1 January 1878 the line to Kaitoke was opened to the public; becoming the railhead for the Wairarapa for nearly ten months (to 16 October). The Rimutaka Range posed a severe difficulty to those involved in planning and constructing the Wairarapa Line. On 1 January 1878, the Hutt line opened to Kaitoke at the western foot of the range, and
5400-434: The mid-1980s were made up of de-motorised former 88-seater railcars known as " grassgrubs " in New Zealand railfan jargon . Passenger services through the lowly populated northern Wairarapa survived due to the poor roads in the area, but as they were improved, demand for the trains declined. Masterton – Palmerston North passenger trains ceased from Monday, 1 August 1988 with the last such service running on Friday, 29 July. In
5490-409: The middle of the Bolton Street cemetery. The cemetery had long been closed to new interments, but had huge historical significance as the burial place of many early Wellington settlers, and there was controversy about disturbing the graves. Between 1968 and 1971 the cemetery was closed to public access while about 3700 burials in the way of the motorway were exhumed. Most of the remains were reinterred in
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#17327867472925580-429: The motorway between Ngauranga and the Bowen Street overbridge as built very closely matches the original 'foothill' proposal, with the exception that the proposed interchange at Ngaio Gorge (with on- and off-ramps over the railway to Kaiwharawhara) was never completed, although the stumps of a southbound on-ramp and northbound on- and off-ramps remain visible today broadly parallel to Kaiwharawhara railway station . Beyond
5670-403: The motorway took place in 2003. Part of the motorway, which would have connected to a second Terrace Tunnel, was never built but the pillars remain in place. The Terrace Tunnel, opened in 1978, passes through the crush zone of an earthquake fault line, under a populated area. It was initially excavated as six small tunnels, and some areas were dug out by hand to minimise disturbance. The tunnel
5760-405: The need for a motorway at all. Walkways were built along each side of the Shell Gully area of the motorway. In 1972, the Ministry of Works won an environmental award presented by the New Zealand Institution of Engineers for the motorway's design, consideration of environmental factors, and landscaping and gardens alongside the motorway. A plaque celebrating the award was affixed to the slope of
5850-403: The one-way system across Te Aro. Until 2006 the northbound motorway started at the Vivian Street on-ramp. On 28 December 2006 this on-ramp was closed, with a new northbound on-ramp created at Karo Drive as part of the Wellington Inner City Bypass. Until 2007 the southbound motorway terminated at the Ghuznee Street off-ramp. On 25 March 2007 this off-ramp was closed, and traffic diverted to
5940-433: The opening of the Wellington Inner City Bypass . The tunnel is one of the few single-carriageway stretches of motorway in New Zealand. All that separates opposing flows of traffic is a set of double no-overtaking lines and a series of slim fixed-in-place post-style road bollards. The tunnel was opened as part of the extension of the Wellington Urban Motorway through Thorndon to Te Aro and was originally envisaged to include
6030-481: The present North Island Main Trunk section between Wellington and Palmerston North. The line originally included the famous Rimutaka Incline , which used the Fell mountain railway system to cross the Rimutaka Range between Upper Hutt and Featherston . In the mid-1950s, the line between Petone and Featherston was substantially realigned, with the line diverted to the east of the Hutt River between Petone and Haywards to serve new housing developments in Lower Hutt, and
6120-433: The project was approved. Although the smart motorway technology was supposed to lessen congestion and create shorter, more reliable travel times, data released after the first year of operation showed that "peak-time northbound journeys between Hobson St and Petone had actually become longer, while southbound journeys had only improved by an average of about 30 seconds". NZTA's highway manager blamed poor driving behaviour for
6210-416: The purchase of tri-mode multiple units for the line, similar to bi-mode multiple units used overseas. In 2023 it was announced that 18 four-car trains will be built for Capital Connection and Wairarapa services. Proposals have been made to extend the electrification into the Wairarapa and the Rimutaka Tunnel was constructed to allow overhead lines to be installed, although before opening diesel operation
6300-408: The railway was extended to serve them. In 1954, it re-joined the western line south of Manor Park and superseded the old route. On 1 March 1954 the former Hutt Valley Branch became part of the Wairarapa Line. The western route was truncated into the Melling Branch from Petone, with the Lower Hutt railway station becoming the Western Hutt railway station . The deviation included a new bridge across
6390-440: The remaining tunnel. About half of the southbound carriageway has been built but is unpaved, including the Bowen Street on-ramp which is now a walkway. The Shell Gully/Clifton Tce carpark under the motorway, accessible from the Terrace, clearly shows the pillars, and part of the carriageway (now part of the carpark) that would have carried the additional three southbound lanes to the second Terrace Tunnel. The northbound carriageway
6480-464: The significance of the Wairarapa Line declined, especially on the section north of Masterton. KiwiRail is currently investigating a log shipment hub in Masterton that would mean log traffic would use the northern portion of the Wairarapa Line, from Masterton to Napier. In February 2012, it was reported that the total freight carried on the northern section of the line had increased from 74,031 tonnes in 2009 to 97,139 tonnes in 2011, although this figure
6570-578: The six SE class to relieve capacity constraints especially on evening services. The Wellington Metro Rail Upgrade project (2020-2021) started in November 2019; and is expected to take eighteen months and cost $ 300 million. The single-track Trentham-Upper Hutt section will be double-tracked and equipped for bi-directional signalling so that trains can run on either track in either direction between Upper Hutt and Trentham (and possibly later to Heretaunga). Signalling, track and three bridges will be renewed, and
6660-399: The start of the 1850s, barely a decade after European settlement of the area began. In 1853 and 1857, investigation of horse-hauled tramways was undertaken, but no action was taken. Robert Stokes , a member of the provincial government , proposed a railway over the Rimutakas in 1858 and finally succeeded in gaining government interest in 1863. The Wellington Provincial Government established
6750-665: The suburb of Kaiwharawhara, the motorway travels across the 1335m long Thorndon overbridges, the longest bridges in the North Island , before entering the suburb of Thorndon. Shortly after, it enters the Terrace Tunnel before terminating at Vivian Street in Wellington City. Following the Second World War the population of the Hutt Valley and Porirua basin increased, leading to growing congestion on
6840-529: The track to improve operation of the Wairarapa Connection , and on 9 October 2018 the Minister of Transport Phil Twyford announced that the proposed $ 196 million for the region included $ 96 million for the Wairarapa Line; $ 50 million in the Wairarapa and $ 46.2 million south of the Rimutaka Tunnel including double-tracking the Trentham to Upper Hutt section. Work is to start in April 2019. The double-tracking
6930-627: The tunnel it is impossible to see the other end, as it curves in the middle. When it opened in 1978, the tunnel was the southern end of State Highway 2. Alterations at the Ngauranga SH1/SH2 interchange in 1984 connected SH1 to the motorway; although SH1 continued off the Aotea Quay offramp until 1996. In 1996 Transit extended the SH1 status to the entire route from the end of the Wellington Urban Motorway to Wellington Airport . From 2007 this
7020-457: The two-position home signal, which allows shunting movements to be carried out without the need for a Track Warrant. Along with Horotiu (on the NIMT between Te Rapa and Ngāruawāhia) Masterton still has Woods Points Keys. The Horotiu ones are not in regular use. Seven railway preservation organisations are based on or close by the Wairarapa Line. NZRLS has a workshop based at the northern end of
7110-550: The upper deck of the Clifton Terrace carpark. These pillars may also be seen on the left hand (eastern) side of "The Terrace Looking South" webcam on the CityLink website. A reversible lane (tidal flow) system as used on the Auckland Harbour Bridge has been proposed. Investigation as part of the tunnel link project raised questions about safety of such an option, but it has not been ruled out. As you enter
7200-516: Was $ 226m, with option 2 being $ 82m. The Wairarapa line used four of the six New Zealand railway signalling systems: Double Line Automatic (DLA) , Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) , Track Warrant Control (TWC) and Station Limits. Signalling at Petone is future-proofed for conversion to a fifth system, Automatic Signalling Rules (ASR). The Wairarapa Line had a number of lasts for railway signalling in New Zealand: Prior to
7290-486: Was $ 68.9 million. The Thorndon Overbridge is a 1.3 km-long overbridge consisting of two three-lane structures with an 8 feet (2.4 m) gap between them (covered by a grille for use as an emergency median). It stretches from the Kaiwharawhara Stream to past Thorndon Quay. The overbridge was built in three stages between 1967 and 1972 on land reclaimed at various periods during the 20th century. When it
7380-617: Was adopted. In 2007, the Greater Wellington Regional Council rejected a call for the line to be electrified to Masterton, stating that patronage was too low to justify the capital expenditure. In May 2021, KiwiRail, Beca and Systra published the North Island Electrification Study, which put forward two options for electrification expansion for the Wairarapa Line from Upper Hutt to Masterton: The estimated costs of option 1
7470-467: Was built for the Incline but did not prove as successful as the six H locomotives and was retired in 1917. When the Rimutaka Tunnel opened in November 1955, the Wairarapa Line became the first in New Zealand to be fully dieselised as steam locomotives were unable to pass through the tunnel. Initially, D and D class diesels were employed, and they were soon joined by the D class . Until 1967,
7560-655: Was built, the overbridge was described as "the largest pre-stressed concrete structure of its type in New Zealand". The overbridge passes over the Cook Strait ferry terminal and rail yards, and it crosses over the Wellington Fault . In 1996, earthquake-strengthening work was done on the overbridge. Part of the work involved wrapping 81 of the overbridge's 125 columns with layers of a fibreglass kevlar material, filled with epoxy, so that they are less likely to fail in an earthquake. The motorway plan took it through
7650-467: Was completed in November 2021. Other "infrastructure renewals" on the line include three bridges with timber elements and track renewal (including in the Rimutaka Tunnel), replacement of signals between Masterton and Featherston and upgrades to Upper Hutt. Passing loops at Carterton and Woodside had previously been removed, leaving Featherston with the only loop between Upper Hutt and Masterton;
7740-424: Was employed. This used a centre rail to which specially-designed locomotives and brake vans clung, allowing them to climb the steep slope upwards or control the descent. Despite the terrain, construction of this unique route was completed swiftly, opening to Featherston on 12 October 1878. Construction from Featherston to Masterton across the Wairarapa plains north of Lake Wairarapa was relatively easy. The decision
7830-522: Was inflated by a ten-day closure of the Manawatū Gorge section of the railway line due to a slip. Presently freight services operate at each end of the line. Log and other wood-related traffic is moved between Wellington and Waingawa , just south of Masterton, with one overnight and one daylight return service on weekdays, and a daylight service operates both weekend days. Two freight trains operate from Palmerston North to Pahiatua and return on weekdays,
7920-413: Was installed. The original concept was for six lanes to proceed to Willis Street, with the existing three-lane Terrace Tunnel being the northbound route with a duplicate southbound tunnel. The current alignment of the motorway up to the Terrace off-ramp clearly shows how six lanes were curtailed to three, by using the Terrace interchange to lose a lane each way, and a third lane merging southbound towards
8010-569: Was shelved in 1993 because of funding constraints. Transit New Zealand prioritised a three-stage approach to addressing the traffic issues between the Terrace Tunnel and the Mt Victoria Tunnel: Stage 1. Conversion of Buckle St to one-way westbound, and Vivian St from Taranaki Street to Cambridge Terrace to one-way eastbound operation. This was seen as a short-term measure to prepare for Stage 2. Stage 2. Widening of Arthur Street and extension towards Victoria and Willis St to
8100-463: Was taken to bypass Greytown and build the line through Woodside to bridge the Waiohine River at a point far enough up the river to be considered safe; a line through Greytown would have required a bridge at a point considered unsafe by the surveyors. The Greytown Branch was constructed from Woodside, and Greytown was briefly the effective terminus of the Wairarapa Line from the opening of
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