The Hutt Valley Line, incorporating the former Hutt Valley Branch, is a section of the Wairarapa Line railway from Wellington to the Wairarapa by way of the Hutt Valley in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It can be considered to end in two locations: the northern terminus of the Wellington Region's electrified commuter service Tranz Metro in Upper Hutt,^[1] or beyond at the Rimutaka Tunnel through the Rimutaka Range to the Wairarapa region. For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... Upper Hutt is New Zealands smallest city by population, the second largest by land area and is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... Upper Hutt is New Zealands smallest city by population, the second largest by land area and is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... 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. ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... The Hutt Valley is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. ... North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ... The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island. ... Overhead wire in Coventry, England Overhead wire and its suspension system in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA A railway electrification system is a way of supplying electric power to electric locomotives and multiple units. ... Tranz Metro is the commuter rail system of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. ... Upper Hutt is New Zealands smallest city by population, the second largest by land area and is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... Rimutaka Tunnel, rail tunnel through New Zealands Rimutaka Ranges between Upper Hutt, near Wellington, and Featherston. ... The Rimutaka Range (often referred to as the Rimutaka Ranges) is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington. ... The Wairarapa is a district or subregion of New Zealand occupying the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of Wellington and south-west of Hawke Bay. ...

Construction

The Hutt valley line was the first railway out of Wellington, preceding the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company's west coast route that was later acquired by the New Zealand Railways Department and incorporated into the North Island Main Trunk. The first proposal for a railway line from Wellington to the Rimutakas was put to the Wellington provincial government by Robert Stokes in 1858, and five years later, the government gave support to the idea. In 1866, the government's investigating committee approved the line and the Wellington, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa Railway Ordinance was passed on 2 July 1866. It authorised a line to be built to either standard gauge of 4'8.5", or a narrow gauge of 3'6", but sufficient funds could not be raised in England and the railway proposal was temporarily abandoned.^[2] The Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) was a railway between Thorndon in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and Longburn, near Palmerston North in the Manawatu. ... The New Zealand Railways Department, or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways), often known as the Railways, was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealands rail infrastructure. ... The NIMT is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ...

In 1870, Premier Julius Vogel included a railway from Wellington to the Wairarapa in his "Great Public Works" policy, and while in London to raise funds for a number of projects in this policy, he was approached by contractors Brogden & Sons. They received a contract to survey and construct the first portion of the line, from Wellington to Lower Hutt, and construction began on 20 August 1872, with the first sod turned at Pipitea in Wellington city. The railway took longer to construct due to the difficulties associated with stabilising the shoreline of Wellington Harbour. In July 1873, the railway reached Kaiwharawhara, followed by Ngaraunga in early 1874 and Lower Hutt on 14 April 1874. Steam locomotives had now arrived to work the line and a service began, with four trains daily each way (three on Sundays).^[3] The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealands head of government and is the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand. ... Sir Julius Vogel Sir Julius Vogel KCMG (February 24, 1835 - March 12, 1899) was New Zealands only practicing Jewish prime minister. ... Lower Hutt is a city in the lower North Island of the country of New Zealand. ... Wellington Habour is the large natural habour at the south-eastern tip of the North Island, on which New Zealands capital stands. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Union Pacific Big Boy #4012 at work on a cold November 29, 1941 A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. ...

Construction of the next section to Upper Hutt along the western bank of the Hutt River proceeded swiftly. On 11 May 1874, a contract was let to Charles McKirdy^[4], and the line was opened to Silverstream in December 1875; this included a 272 metre long bridge across the Hutt River to the eastern bank just before Silverstream, and in other locations, thousands of bags of cement had to be used to stabilise the railway's route alongside the river. Not long after the opening of the Silverstream section, the line was opened through to Upper Hutt on 1 February 1876.^[5] It was almost two years until the next section was opened; Kaitoke was reached on 1 January 1878, followed by the first section into the Wairarapa on 12 August 1878 to Featherston.^[6] This section scaled the Rimutaka ranges via the Rimutaka Incline. Upper Hutt is New Zealands smallest city by population, the second largest by land area and is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... There are two rivers named the Hutt River: Hutt River, New Zealand, with the cities of Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt in its lower valley. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (132nd in leap years). ... Year 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link with display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Silverstream is a suburb of Upper Hutt City in the lower North Island of New Zealand. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Kaitoke is a locality in the southern North Island of New Zealand. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Featherston is a town in the south of the North Island of New Zealand, east of Wellington, just east of the Rimutaka Tunnel, in the South Wairarapa District. ... The Rimutaka Incline was a 3-mile (5-km) stretch of steeply-graded line between Summit and Cross Creek on the original Wairarapa railway line between Wellington and Masterton in New Zealand. ...

In the same year, the Pipitea terminal in Wellington was destroyed by fire on 16 January. A permanent replacement on Featherston Street opened on 1 November 1880; it was subsequently moved to a site near the intersection of Thorndon and Lambton Quays in 1885 and became known as Lambton Station. It was replaced by the present day Wellington Railway Station on Bunny Street in 1937. Other work around Wellington focused on straightening the line's route alongside the Harbour; this was approved in 1903, began in 1904, and by 1911, the entire line between Wellington and Lower Hutt was duplicated and straighter.^[7] January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... Wellington Railway Station at night Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealands North Island Main Trunk railway. ...

Deviation and electrification

The original route was built along the western bank of the Hutt River to provide the most direct route from Wellington to the Wairarapa. In 1925, the passage of the Hutt Valley Lands Settlement Act contained a provision for a branch line railway from Petone to Waterloo.^[8] Its construction was easy, though it included a 233 metre long bridge over the Hutt River, and it opened on 26 May 1927. It was soon followed by the Gracefield Branch to the Railway Department's new Hutt Workshops on 1 April 1929.^[9] Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar). ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

After World War II, the Hutt Valley experienced a significant growth in population and extension of the Hutt Valley Branch to Taita was approved. It had been built double-tracked to Waterloo, but the next section to Naenae was single track, opening on 7 January 1946. On 14 April 1947, it was opened through to Taita, with the section from Waterloo to Naenae double tracked. The final section from Naenae to Taita was duplicated on 22 February 1953. A proposal to further extend the Taita line to link up with the original Hutt Valley main line had been approved in February 1946, and in the early 1950s, this was carried out. On 28 February 1954, the section of the old main line between Melling and Haywards (now Manor Park) was closed, leaving the Lower Hutt to Melling section as the Melling Branch, and on 1 March 1954, the Taita to Haywards section began operating and the Hutt Valley Branch was incorporated into the Hutt Valley main line.^[10] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... A Kenyan tribe, being about 0. ... Naenae, a major suburb of Lower Hutt in the North Island of New Zealand, lies on the eastern edge of the floodplain of the Hutt River, four kilometres from the Lower Hutt CBD. A small tributary of the Hutt, the Waiwhetu Stream, flows through the suburb. ... January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Melling , is the name of several places in England and one in New Zealand. ... Haywards (41° 8 60S, 174° 58 60E) is the location in New Zealand where the North Island static inverter plant of the HVDC Inter-Island is situated. ... Manor Park may refer to: Manor Park, Newham Manor Park, South Yorkshire Manor Park in Larchmont, New York Manor Park in Nuneaton, Warwickshire This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At this time, the railway was also electrified. Electrification had been approved in response to post-WWII coal shortages, with the first section of electrification opened on 14 September [1953]] from Wellington to Taita. The old bridge over the Hutt River to Silverstream was found unsuitable for electrification and a deviation was built to the north with a new bridge. There were proposals to build a line directly from Taita to Silverstream through the Taita Gorge, eliminating the route across the river to Haywards and then back over it to Silverstream, but this was found unsuitable due to the nature of the soil through the gorge.^[11] A portion of the line renderred unnecessary by the new route into Silverstream has been preserved by the Silver Stream Railway. September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... The Silver Stream Railway is a heritage railway located in Silverstream in the Hutt Valley near Wellington, New Zealand. ...

On 19 July 1954, the railway was duplicated to a point north of Haywards, and later that year, a single track on the new Silverstream deviation was brought into use on 21 November; full duplication from Haywards was not opened until it was completed to Trentham on 26 June 1955. Less than a month later, on 24 July, the electrification was completed all the way to Upper Hutt and diesel-hauled passenger services north of Taita ceased.^[12] July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This is about the New Zealand Trentham. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... A modern Diesel locomotive. ...

Later in 1955, the Rimutaka Incline was replaced by the Rimutaka Tunnel, allowing much quicker travel from the Hutt Valley to the Wairarapa. This involved re-routing the Hutt line north of Upper Hutt; the Kaitoke route to Summit in the Rimutaka Range at the western end of the Incline was closed and replaced by a line through Maymorn to the western portal of the Tunnel.

Operation

Passenger services

The original route was operated by members of the C, D, and L class steam locomotives in the 1870s and 1880s.^[13] In 1905, one member of the D class, D 137, was utilised in trials on the Hutt Valley Line of a "railcar" service between Lower and Upper Hutt^[14] based on a concept the Railways Department's General Manager had witnessed in the eastern United States. This involved D 137 hauling a carriage that seated 24 first class passengers, 48 second class passengers, and had a guard's compartment. However, it was not economic and grossly over-powered, and accordingly, it was soon taken out of service and the Railways Department pursued research into genuine railcars, culminating in various classes covered by the general RM class designation.^[15] C class loco 132 on the Silver Stream Railway, 6 March 2002. ... The NZR D class was a class of tank steam locomotives that operated on New Zealands national railway network. ... A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. ... The RM class is the classification used by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) and its sucessors given to all railcars and railbuses that have operated on New Zealands national rail network. ...

On 11 December 1897, the full Wairarapa Line was opened to a junction with the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line in Woodville, allowing the commencement of the Napier Express directly from Wellington through the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa to Napier in the Hawkes Bay. This was the premier service on the Hutt Valley Line until early 1909, when it was re-routed via the west coast route that the Railways Department had recently been acquired from the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company.^[16] Its replacement was the Wairarapa Mail, an express train that ran the Napier Express's former Wellington to Woodville leg. Through the Hutt Valley, the express was typically hauled by W^W class tank locomotives.^[17] In 1936, the Wairarapa railcars were introduced to the Wairarapa runs, decreasing the frequency of the express and ultimately leading to its cancellation in 1948. No named provincial express has operated on the Hutt Valley Line since this time.^[18] December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Woodville is a small town in the southern North Island of New Zealand. ... The Napier Express was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department initially between Napier and Palmerston North and later between Napier and Wellington. ... Napier is an important port city in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. ... Hawkes Bay is a region of New Zealand. ... The Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) was a railway between Thorndon in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and Longburn, near Palmerston North in the Manawatu. ... The Wairarapa Mail was a passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) between Wellington and Woodville, continuing on to Palmerston North as a mixed train. ... A tank locomotive (occasionally tank engine, especially in England, notably used in reference to Thomas the Tank Engine) is a steam locomotive that carries its own fuel and water on it, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. ... The NZR RM class Wairarapa railcar (or Rimutaka railcar) was the first truly successful class of railcars to operate on New Zealands national rail network. ...

Suburban services in the 20th century prior to electrification were typically hauled by tank locomotives of the W^AB and W^W classes. Prior to full electrification, services beyond Taita were operated by DE class diesels. Full electrification saw duties shared between DM class multiple units and carriage trains hauled by ED and EW class electric locomotives, the latter class ordered for the Wellington electrified network when the Hutt Valley electrification project was approved. The EDs were withdrawn by 1980 and EWs by 1983, and in the early eighties, the EM multiple units were introduced, taking over almost all services.^[19] Today, the DM class units are used only at peak times and commuter trains run frequently throughout each day by Tranz Metro, with stops at eighteen stations.^[20] This is augmented by Tranz Metro's commuter service from Masterton in the Wairarapa, the Wairarapa Connection. It operates multiple times daily and is hauled by diesel locomotives, mainly DC class locomotives. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... The WAB class locomotives were steam locomotives designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways Department. ... The NZR DE class were a New Zealand class of shunting diesel-electric locomotives. ... The NZR EW class locomotive was a class of electric locomotive used in Wellington, New Zealand. ... Modern three-phase AC locomotive (DBAG Class 152) A GG1 An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electric motors which draws current from an overhead wire (overhead lines), a third rail, or an on-board storage device such as a battery or a flywheel energy storage system. ... Tranz Metro is the commuter rail system of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. ... Masterton is a town (and local government district) in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... The Wairarapa Connection is an interurban railway passenger service in New Zealand which operates between Masterton in the Wellington Region, connecting Wairarapa and Wellington. ... The NZR DC class locomotive is the most common class of locomotive on the New Zealand rail network. ...

Freight services

From December 1897 until the acquisition of the WMR in December 1908, the Hutt Valley Line was part of the Railways Department's primary route out of Wellington. Once the west coast route of the North Island Main Trunk Railway was available, all freight that could be diverted was sent via that line due to the costs and inefficiency of sending it over the Rimutaka Incline. Accordingly, the status of the Hutt Valley Line as a freight route markedly declined, though it became more desirable as a secondary route to the Main Trunk once the Incline was replaced by the Rimutaka Tunnel. Today, multiple freight trains operated by Toll Rail operate daily through the Hutt Valley between Wellington, Masterton, and Napier. Non-commercial services are also operated regularly to transfer equipment to and from the Hutt Workshops. Since the demise of the ED and EW class, all freight trains have been operated by diesel locomotives.^[21] The North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ...

Stations listed from Wellington to Upper Hutt

• Wellington Station
  
• Ngauranga Station
  
• Petone Station
  
• Ava Station
  
• Woburn Station
  
• Waterloo Station
  
• Epuni Station
  
• Naenae Station
  
• Wingate Station
  
• Mana Station
  
• Taita Station
  
• Pomare Station
  
• Manor Park Station
  
• Silverstream Station
  
• Heretaunga Station
  
• Trentham Station
  
• Wallaceville Station
  
• Upper Hutt Station
  

For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... Upper Hutt is New Zealands smallest city by population, the second largest by land area and is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... Wellington Railway Station at night Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealands North Island Main Trunk railway. ... Ngauranga is a suburb of New Zealands capital city, Wellington, in the lower North Island. ... Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. ... Naenae, a major suburb of Lower Hutt in the North Island of New Zealand, lies on the eastern edge of the floodplain of the Hutt River, four kilometres from the Lower Hutt CBD. A small tributary of the Hutt, the Waiwhetu Stream, flows through the suburb. ... Taita is one of the easternmost suburbs of Lower Hutt City in New Zealand. ... Silverstream is a suburb of Upper Hutt City in the lower North Island of New Zealand. ... Upper Hutt is New Zealands smallest city by population and is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ... This is about the New Zealand Trentham. ... Upper Hutt is New Zealands smallest city by population, the second largest by land area and is located in the Wellington region of New Zealand. ...

See Also

• List of Wellington railway stations
• Wairarapa Line

This page lists all railway stations in Wellington used for passenger services. ... 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. ...

References