Otago Central Railway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Otago Central Railway or Otago Central Branch Railway was a secondary railway line in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand.

[edit] Construction

Construction of the Otago Central Branch Railway began in 1877 and the 27-km section to Hindon was opened in 1889. The line was completed to Middlemarch two years later. The line was eventually extended to Cromwell, 236 km, by 1921. The Clyde - Cromwell section (20 km) was closed in 1980 due to construction of the Clyde Dam, a hydro-electric power station in the Cromwell Gorge (the gorge of the Clutha River).

[edit] Closure

The line remained open until 30 April 1990, and was used to move construction materials for the dam project. With the completion of the dam in that year, there was little other traffic for the line and with permission of the Minister of Railways, Roger Sowry, the line was closed by the New Zealand Railways Corporation later that year.

New Zealand Railway Lines

Main lines class="navbox collapsible autocollapse" North Island: East Coast Main Trunk - North Island Main Trunk South Island: Main North Line and Main South Line, known together as the South Island Main Trunk

Secondary lines
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North Island:
Marton - New Plymouth Line - North Auckland Line - Palmerston North - Gisborne Line - Stratford - Okahukura Line - Wairarapa Line

South Island:
Midland Line - Nelson Section - Otago Central Railway - Stillwater - Westport Line - Waimea Plains Railway

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Branch lines
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Upper North Island
Cambridge - Dargaville - Donnelly's Crossing - Glen Afton - Kinleith - Kumeu-Riverhead - Mount Maunganui - Murupara - Newmarket - Okaihau - Onehunga - Onerahi - Opua - Rotorua - Taneatua - Thames - Waiuku and Mission Bush

Lower North Island
Ahuriri - Castlecliff and Wanganui - Foxton - Greytown - Johnsonville - Melling - Mount Egmont - Moutohora - Ngatapa - Opunake - Raetihi - Taonui - Te Aro - Waitara

Upper South Island
Blackball and Roa - Cape Foulwind - Conns Creek - Eyreton - Fairlie - Little River - Lyttelton - Methven - Mount Somers - Oxford - Rapahoe - Rewanui - Hokitika/Ross - Seddonville - Southbridge - Waiau - Waimate - Whitecliffs

Lower South Island
Bluff - Catlins River - Dunback and Makareao - Fernhill - Hedgehope - Kingston - Kurow - Moeraki - Mossburn - Ngapara and Tokarahi - Outram - Port Chalmers - Roxburgh - Shag Point - Tapanui - Tokanui - Tuatapere - Waikaia - Waikaka - Wairio - Walton Park - Wyndham

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Private lines
Glen Massey Branch - Dunedin Peninsula and Ocean Beach Railway - Dun Mountain Railway - Hutt Park Railway - Kaitangata Line - Sanson Tramway - Wellington and Manawatu Railway

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