From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The North Auckland Line is a major railway line in New Zealand's national rail network. It runs from Westfield to Otiria via Whangarei. It was completed in 1925, with the first section north from Auckland opening in 1880.
The North Auckland Line previously continued to Opua in the Bay of Islands. The section from Kawakawa to Opua is now the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, currently disused.
[edit] Stations
The following stations are or were on the North Auckland Line, with distances from Westfield:
[edit] History
It took many years to build a complete line to serve the Northland Region, with different sections being developed at different times. Eventually it became was clear that a main line was required to link these isolated railways to improve transport of both passengers and freight to and from New Zealand's northernmost region, and to open up land for greater economic development.
- 1880:-
- September: The line from Auckland reached Helensville.[1]
- October 28: The section between Whangarei and Kamo opened.[1]
- 1881:-
- July 13: The section between Henderson and Helensville opened. This section met formerly isolated Kumeu-Riverhead Section, turning it into the Riverhead Branch.[citation needed]
- July 18: The North Auckland Line had made the Riverhead Branch redundant, so it was closed.[citation needed]
- 1884:-
- 1889:-
- May 3: The section between Helensville Station and Kanohi opened.
- 1925, 29 November: The North Auckland Line was complete and it was now possible for trains to run from Opua to Auckland via Whangarei.[1]
- 1966: Diesel-electric locomotives were introduced on the line. They were the DB and DG class locomotives.
- 1967, July: The Okaihau railcar services were withdrawn, lasting only just over a decade. Mixed trains, following freight timetables, were introduced instead. These trains ran between Whangarei and Auckland and from Whangarei to Okaihau and Opua.[citation needed]
- 1968: Makarau Tunnel was enlarged to accommodate the DA class. These locomotives became the dominant motive power for many years.
- 1976: All mixed trains were withdrawn. They were unpopular due to their slow pace. Helensville became the northern terminus for scheduled passenger train services.[citation needed]
- 1980:
- February: The Minister of Railways, Mr McLachlan, announced the withdrawal of the daily service between Auckland and Helensville since there were no rolling stock available to keep this service running.[2]
- August 18: A new timetable was implemented. Under the new timetable all trains terminated at Waitakere, cancelling the service between Auckland and Helensville. Croydon Road, St Georges Street and Westbrook stations closed to suburban traffic on a trial basis.[3]
- 1987 July 22 A truck collides with a goods train near Helensville. There were only minor injuries on both sides.[4]
- 2004:-
- 2005:-
- February 14: Following the double-tracking between Mt Eden and Morningside, a new timetable was implemented with more frequent suburban trains between Britomart and Waitakere. In particular, there were more peak trains between Britomart and Waitakere as well as the introduction of short-runner trains between Britomart and New Lynn.[7]
- May: Work started on preparing the corridor for double-tracking between New Lynn and Henderson.[8]
- May 21: The new Kingsland signature station was officially opened. It is a double-platform station to the new design, replacing the old single-platform station.[8]
- October 25: A new timetable was put in service, with huge changes for Western Line services. Many features of the new timetable has been re-introduced for the first time in many years. An express service between Britomart and Waitakere was introduced on weekdays. Train frequencies on weekdays were increased to every 37 minutes between Britomart and Swanson and decreased to every 74 minutes between Britomart and Waitakere. Sunday suburban services were introduced between Britomart and New Lynn.[9]
- December 31: Double-tracking work started between New Lynn and Henderson. [10]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rails That Built a Nation by Robin Bromby (p.17)
- ^ Rails magazine, March 1980, pp.15-16
- ^ Rails magazine, September 1980, p.14
- ^ Rails magazine, September 1987, p.43
- ^ Auckland Regional Council: Rail Project Background
- ^ Auckland Regional Council Press Release, 2 April 2004: The Prime Minister Launches Western Rail Line Construction
- ^ ARTA Rail Newsletter - Issue 16
- ^ a b ARTA Rail Newsletter - Issue 17
- ^ ARTA Rail Newsletter - Issue 21
- ^ ARTA Rail Newsletter - Issue 23
- Churchman, Geoffrey B., and Hurst, Tony; The Railways Of New Zealand: A Journey Through History, HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand), 1991 reprint
- Leitch, David, and Scott, Brian; Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways, Grantham House, 1998 revised edition
| Secondary lines |
| class="navbox collapsible autocollapse" |
| North Island: |
| Marton - New Plymouth Line - North Auckland Line - Palmerston North - Gisborne Line - Stratford - Okahukura Line - Wairarapa Line |
|}
|}
|}
