North Island Main Trunk Railway
From Open Encyclopedia
The North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealand's North Island. Like most New Zealand railways it has a gauge of 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in). By convention, a train going to Auckland is referred to as an "up train", and a train heading away from Auckland as a "down train".
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Current Passenger Stops (2005)
These are the passenger railway stations as of October 2005 for both the daily Auckland-Wellington services (The Overlander operated by TranzScenic) and Auckland-Pukekohe suburban services (operated by Connex Auckland). The following list does not include closed or planned stations in Auckland, which are documented in the list of train stations in Auckland, nor all Wellington suburban railway stations.
- Britomart, Auckland
- Orakei (Connex Auckland only)
- Meadowbank (Connex Auckland only)
- Glen Innes (Connex Auckland only)
- Panmure (Connex Auckland only)
- Westfield (Connex Auckland only)
- Otahuhu (Connex Auckland only)
- Mangere (Connex Auckland only)
- Middlemore
- Papatoetoe (Connex Auckland only)
- Puhinui (Connex Auckland only)
- Homai (Connex Auckland only)
- Manurewa (Connex Auckland only)
- Te Mahia (Connex Auckland only)
- Takanini (Connex Auckland only)
- Papakura
- Pukekohe
- Hamilton
- Otorohanga
- Te Kuiti
- Taumarunui - previously included a dining room, and engines were changed.
- National Park - now a 45-minute lunch stop.
- Ohakune
- Marton
- Feilding
- Palmerston North
- Levin
- Paraparaumu
- Porirua
- Wellington
Former Passenger Stops
Between Pukekohe and Hamilton
- Te Kauwhata (discontinued April 2005)
- Huntly (discontinued April 2005)
Between Hamilton and Otorohanga
- Te Awamutu (discontinued April 2005)
Between Tamarunui and National Park
- Manunui
- Piriaka
- Kakahi - steam engine turning point before the incline.
- Owhango
- Oio
- Raurimu - location of Raurimu Spiral
Between Ohakune and Marton
- Waiouru - near the highest point on the line (discontinued April 2005)
- Taihape - previously included a dining room, and engines were changed (discontinued April 2005)
Between Levin and Paraparaumu
History
Construction started on 15 April 1885, when Wahanui Maniopoto paramount chief turned the first sod near Te Awamutu. The line was completed 23 years later on 6 November 1908; the last spike was ceremoniously driven by the Prime Minister, Joseph Ward. (A monument stands at the location 39°16.44′S 175°23.37′E near Pokaka).
The section between Palmerston North and Hamilton was converted to electric traction during the 1980s as one of the National government's "Think Big" development projects.
See also
External links
- The Overlander - the current passenger service.
- Raurimu Spiral
- NZ Engineering Heritage North Island Main Trunk line page
