Wellington Railway Station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Wellington station" redirects here. For other uses, see Wellington station (disambiguation).
Wellington
Metlink regional rail

Wellington Railway Station at night
Station statistics
Address Bunny Street, Wellington
Coordinates 41°16′43″S, 174°46′51″E
Lines Melling Line
Hutt Valley Line
Johnsonville Line
Wairarapa Line
Paraparaumu Line
Capital Connection
Overlander
Connections Services
Parking Yes
Baggage check Yes
Other information
Opened 1937-06-19
Electrified 1953-09-14
Owned by ONTRACK
Fare zone 1[1]
Services
    ONTRACK    
Preceding station   Tranz Metro   Following station
Johnsonville Line Terminus
toward Melling
 Melling Line
toward Upper Hutt
 Hutt Valley Line
toward Paraparaumu
 Paraparaumu Line
toward Masterton
 Wairarapa Line
Preceding station   Tranz Scenic   Following station
Paraparaumu
 The Overlander Terminus
Paraparaumu
toward Palmerston North
 Capital Connection

Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway and the Wairarapa Line.

Contents

[edit] History

When completed in 1937, it was New Zealand’s largest building. The land upon which it is built is reclaimed, and it was the first major New Zealand structure to incorporate a significant measure of earthquake resistance. It was constructed by Fletcher Building, and was one of that company's first major construction projects. It was designed by New Zealander W. Gray Young famous for his neo-Georgian styles.

When it opened, Wellington's two former stations closed: Lambton, built by New Zealand Government Railways to serve the Wairarapa line; and Thorndon, built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company to serve what became the North Island Main Trunk.

It has a steel frame encased in reinforced concrete and supported on groups of reinforced concrete piles. Bricks used for the outer cladding are of a special design, with slots to accommodate vertical rods reinforcing the brickwork and binding it to the structural members. It required 1.75 million bricks, plus 1500 tonnes of decorative granite and marble.

[edit] Occupants

It was built to accommodate the head office of the New Zealand Railways Department and was the head office of its successors, the New Zealand Railways Corporation, New Zealand Rail Ltd and Tranz Rail, until the latter moved to Takapuna, Auckland. ONTRACK, the government's rail infrastructure owner, occupies the east wing with Toll New Zealand, and Victoria University of Wellington occupies the west wing.

On 4 December 2006 the New World Railway Metro supermarket opened on the ground floor. This coincides with considerable renovation of the station's interior and exterior, and the closure of the Railway Kiosk and the American Hotdog vendor.

[edit] Services

The station copes with large daily passenger numbers with very little alteration having proved necessary. In its first year, 7,600 passengers made 15,200 trips on 140 trains daily. Today, 22,000 passengers make 44,000 trips on 390 trains, excluding long-distance services.

It is used by:

[edit] Wellington Railway Station bus terminal

The Wellington Railway Station bus terminal lies just west of the station building, and services most Wellington bus routes.

The following bus routes service the station:

  • 1: Island Bay
  • 2: Miramar
  • 3: Karori - Lyall Bay
  • 4: Happy Valley
  • 7: Kingston
  • 8: Kowhai Park
  • 9: Aro Street
  • 10: Newtown Park
  • 11: Seatoun
  • 12: Wrights Hill - Vogeltown
  • 14: Wilton - Kilbirnie
  • 17: Victoria University
  • 20: Mt Victoria
  • 22: Mairangi - Southgate
  • 23: Mairangi - Southgate/Houghton Bay
  • 24: Miramar Heights via Evans Bay
  • 30: Seatoun Express
  • 32: Island Bay Express
  • 43: Khandallah - Strathmore
  • 44: Khandallah - Strathmore
  • 45: Khandallah via Ngaio
  • 46: Broadmeadows
  • 54: Churton Park
  • 55: Grenada Village
  • 56: Newlands
  • 81: Eastbourne
  • 83: Eastbourne via Lower Hutt
  • 84: Gracefield
  • 85: Eastbourne Express
  • 91: Airport Flyer


v • d • e
Capital Connection passenger train stops (North Island Main Trunk Railway)
Palmerston North • Shannon • Levin • Otaki • Waikanae • Paraparaumu • Wellington (Railway Station)
v • d • e
The Overlander passenger train stops: (North Island Main Trunk Railway)
Auckland (Britomart) • Middlemore • Papakura • Pukekohe • Hamilton • Otorohanga • Te Kuiti • Taumarunui • National Park • Ohakune • Marton • Feilding • Palmerston North • Levin • Paraparaumu • Porirua • Wellington (Railway Station)

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Metlink. Text description of fare zone boundaries. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
Languages