|
The East Coast Main Trunk Railway is the railway line running between Hamilton to Taneatua via Tauranga, connecting the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty. The line is built to the standard New Zealand gauge of 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in).
History
Original construction In 1880, the North Island Main Trunk Railway had reached Hamilton from Auckland. From there, the line made its way to Morrinsville in October 1884, Te Aroha in March 1886 and Paeroa in 1898. The route to Waihi through the Karangahake Gorge was surveyed in the next few years with construction starting in 1900, with three bridges, including a road-rail bridge and a kilometre-long tunnel, which has a 1:50 grade and took three years to build with its completion in 1904. Once completed, the line between Paeroa and Waihi opened in November 1905. In 1907, some surveys were undertaken for a route in 1907 and construction started in March 1912, but was suspended in November of the same year. The work started again in 1914, but was suspended again in March 1917 due to a shortage of staff due to World War I. The works started again in 1918, and the railway, which run through the Athenree Gorge, was opened to Tahawai in 1925 and Tauranga in March 1925. The remaining length of line to Te Puke, Whakatane and Taneatua were opened in 1928. The North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ...
// Hamilton is the surname of a renowned family from the Scottish Lowlands that has given its name to the town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, the Dukedom of Hamilton, and many people and places, the largest of which is the Canadian city of Hamilton, Ontario. ...
Schematic map of Auckland. ...
Morrinsville is a town in the Waikato region of New Zealands North Island. ...
Te Aroha is a rural town in the Thames Valley region of New Zealand with a population of around 3,700 (2001 census). ...
Paeroa is a small town in New Zealand. ...
Waihi is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. ...
The Karangahake Gorge lies between the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges at the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealands North Island. ...
Road-rail bridges are bridges shared by road and rail lines, as an economy measure compared to providing separate bridges. ...
Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz...
Tauranga (population 107,706 — 2006 census) is the largest city of the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. ...
Te Puke is a town located 28 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. ...
Whakatane (IPA , also pronounced ; or ) is a town in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand, the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. ...
Original Intention of the Rail Line Originally, the railway line was to run through the Waioeka Gorge to Gisborne and Napier, and work did begin, howeever due to two World Wars, an economic depression and an influenza epidemic, the railway was never completed. Gisborne is the name of a unitary authority (in this case, a region and district) in New Zealand. ...
The word Napier has several possible meanings in the English language. ...
Kaimai Tunnel Deviation The Kaimai Railway Tunnel runs for 8896m under the Kaimai Ranges, making it the longest tunnel in New Zealand, and the longest tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere. Construction of the tunnel started from both sides of the range in 1969: the headings met in 1976 and the tunnel opened to rail traffic on 12 September 1978. The Kaimai Range is a mountain range located in the North Island of New Zealand. ...
The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is south of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On Earth it contains five continents (Antarctica, Australia, most of South America, parts of Africa and Asia) as well as four oceans (South...
Closure of the Northern Route After the opening of the tunnel, the route through the Karangahake Gorge to the eastern junction closed in 1978 and dismantled in the 1980's. The railway from Morrinsville to Paeroa stayed open and continued to Thames until the closure in 1996/1997. The railbridge at Te Aroha is now a walkway over the Waihou River, the route from the tunnel to Waikino through the Karangahape Gorge is now a walkway, from Waikino to Waihi, there is a heritage railway operating and State Highway 2 now runs through the Athrenee Gorge along the original rail realignment. Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames...
Passenger Services
Taneatua Express When the line opened to its terminus at Taneatua, a passenger train, called the Taneatua Express, ran from Auckland to Taneatua. The original service was 12 hours, but became 10 and a half hours later, and ran two or three times weekly. The last train ran on 7 February 1959, and was replaced by a railcar service, which only ran as far as Te Puke due to negligible traffic. The railway struggled to compete with private cars and the service was cancelled on 11 September 1967. Other than special excursions, no more passenger services were used until 1991. The Taneatua Express was an express passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department that ran between Auckland and Taneatua in the Bay of Plenty, serving centres such as Tauranga and Te Puke. ...
Kaimai Express In 1991, the Kaimai Express started and ran to Tauranga. The train, along with the Geyserland Express, began and used the old Silver Ferns railcars used on the Main Trunk Line. The first express ran on 9 December 1991 and consisted of a morning service from Tauranga to Auckland and afternoon service from Auckland to Tauranga, taking 3.5 hours per journey. The times changed in 2000 to enable the introduction of the Waikato Connection commuter service between Hamilton and Auckland. In 2001, it was announced that the service was too uneconomic to continue, and the last service was on 7 October 2001. The Kaimai Express was a long distance passenger train operated by the Tranz Scenic division of Tranz Rail (previously the New Zealand Rail Limited division InterCity Rail) which ran between the North Island cities of Auckland and Tauranga via Hamilton. ...
The Geyserland Express was a long distance passenger train operated by the Tranz Scenic division of Tranz Rail (previously the New Zealand Rail Limited division InterCity Rail) between Auckland and Rotorua in New Zealands North Island. ...
| New Zealand Railway Lines | East Coast Main Trunk • North Island Main Trunk The New Zealand railway network consists of four main lines, six secondary lines and numerous short branch lines in almost every region of New Zealand. ...
The North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ...
Main North Line and Main South Line, known together as the South Island Main Trunk The Main North Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is an important railway line in New Zealand that runs north from Christchurch up the east coast of the South Island to Picton. ...
The Main South Line is half of the South Island Main Trunk Railway in New Zealand and runs south from Lyttelton through Christchurch and down the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin. ...
The South Island Main Trunk Railway runs down the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, from Picton to Bluff. ...
v • d • e Secondary lines Marton - New Plymouth Line • North Auckland Line • Palmerston North - Gisborne Line • Stratford - Okahukura Line • Wairarapa Line The North Auckland Line is a major railway line in New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Wairarapa line is a section of secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the Wairarapa region. ...
Midland Line • Nelson Section • Otago Central Railway • Stillwater - Westport Line • Waimea Plains Railway The Midland line is a famous 212 km section of railway between Christchurch (Rolleston) and Greymouth in New Zealand. ...
The Otago Central Railway or Otago Central Branch Railway was a secondary railway line in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. ...
The Stillwater - Westport Line (SWL) is a secondary main line that forms part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Waimea Plains Railway was a secondary railway line (not a branch line) that linked the towns of Lumsden and Gore in northern Southland, New Zealand. ...
v • d • e 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 The Dargaville Branch is a branch line railway that leaves the North Auckland Line not far south of Whangarei and runs westward to Dargaville. ...
The Donnellys Crossing Section (later the Donnellys Crossing Branch), also known as the Kaihu Valley Railway, was a railway line in Northland, New Zealand. ...
The Kumeu-Riverhead section was a short-lived railway line located north-west of Auckland, New Zealand. ...
The Auckland-Newmarket Line (sometimes called the Newmarket Branch) is the railway line between Britomart and Newmarket. ...
The Okaihau Branch, sometimes known as the Kaikohe Branch and rarely the Rangiahua Branch, was a branch line railway that joined the North Auckland Line of the national rail network of New Zealand at Otiria. ...
The Onehunga Branch opened in Auckland, New Zealand in 1873. ...
The Onerahi Branch, sometimes known as the Grahamstown Railway, was a branch line railway in the Northland Region of New Zealand. ...
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (sometimes erroneously called the Opua Branch, once the Otiria-Opua Industrial Line) is a former section of the North Auckland Line in the Northland Region of New Zealand between Kawakawa and the Bay of Islands township of Opua. ...
v • d • e Lower North Island Ahuriri • Castlecliff and Wanganui • Foxton • Greytown • Johnsonville • Melling • Mount Egmont • Moutohora • Ngatapa • Opunake • Raetihi • Taonui • Te Aro • Waitara The Foxton Branch was a railway line in New Zealand. ...
The Raetihi Branch was a branch line railway in the central North Island of New Zealand. ...
The Taonui Branch was a minor railway line in New Zealands national network. ...
The Te Aro Extension, also known as the Te Aro Branch, was a short branch line railway in Wellington, New Zealand. ...
v • d • e 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 The Blackball Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Eyreton Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Fairlie Branch (also known as the Eversley Branch) was a branch line railway in southern Canterbury that formed part of New Zealands national railway network. ...
The Little River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Methven Branch was a branch line railway that was part of New Zealands national rail network in Canterbury. ...
The Mount Somers Branch, sometimes known as the Springburn Branch, was a branch line railway in the region of Canterbury, New Zealand. ...
The Rapahoe Branch is a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network and was located on the West Coast of the South Island. ...
The Ross Branch, now known as the Hokitika Branch, is a branch line railway that forms part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Waiau Branch was a branch line railway in the northern Canterbury region of New Zealands South Island. ...
The Waimate Branch was a railway line built in south Canterbury, New Zealand to the major rural town of Waimate. ...
The Whitecliffs Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network in the Canterbury region of the South Island. ...
v • d • e 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 The Bluff Branch is a railway line in Southland, New Zealand that links Invercargill with the port of Bluff. ...
The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Dunback and Makareao Branches were two connected branch line railways that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Fernhill Branch is a railway line in Otago, New Zealand. ...
The Hedgehope Branch, also known as the Browns Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand that started life in the 1880s as a privately owned bush tramway. ...
The Kingston Branch was a major branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ...
The Kurow Branch (also known as the Hakataramea Branch) was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Moeraki Branch was one of the most short-lived railway lines in New Zealand. ...
The Mossburn Branch was a branch line railway in New Zealand from Lumsden on the Kingston Branch to the town of Mossburn in western Southland. ...
The Ngapara and Tokarahi Branches were two connected branch lines in northern Otago, New Zealand that formed part of the national railway system. ...
The Outram Branch was a branch line railway near Dunedin, Otago that operated from 1877 to 1953 as part of New Zealands national rail network. ...
The Port Chalmers Branch was the first railway line built in Otago, New Zealand, and linked the regions major city of Dunedin with the port in Port Chalmers. ...
The Roxburgh Branch was a branch line railway built in the Otago region of New Zealands South Island that formed part of the countrys national rail network. ...
The Shag Point Branch was a short branch off the Main South Line on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. ...
The Tapanui Branch was a railway line located near the border of the regions of Southland and Otago, New Zealand. ...
The Tokanui Branch, also known as the Seaward Bush Branch, was a railway line located in Southland, New Zealand. ...
The Tuatapere Branch, including the Orawia Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ...
The Waikaia Branch, also known as the Switzers Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ...
The Waikaka Branch was a railway line that ran through agricultural and gold-mining country in Southland, New Zealand. ...
The Wairio Branch is a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ...
The Walton Park Branch was located in Otago, New Zealand and operated from 1874 until 1957, except for the first section, which survived until 1980. ...
The Wyndham Branch, also known as the Glenham Branch, was a railway line in Southland, New Zealand. ...
Glen Massey Branch • Dunedin Peninsula and Ocean Beach Railway • Dun Mountain Railway • Hutt Park Railway • Kaitangata Line • Sanson Tramway • Wellington and Manawatu Railway The Kaitangata Line was a branch line railway in Otago, New Zealand. ...
The Sanson Tramway was a tramway in the Manawatu region of New Zealand that operated from 1885 until 1945. ...
The Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) was a railway between Thorndon in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and Longburn, near the town of Palmerston North, in the Manawatu. ...
| |
Feeds |
Contact