History
In 1873, surveys for the best route south of New Plymouth favoured an inland alignment, better suited to future extensions. As a result, the railway diverged from the coastal highway, with stopping places established wherever the line crossed key roads. Egmont Road, being one of these intersections, was selected as one of the original stops when the line between New Plymouth and Waitara opened on 14 October 1875. [2]
Like many halts on the newly opened line, Egmont Road was not furnished with any passenger facilities. Trains simply stopped at the level crossing if flagged by waiting passengers. Dissatisfaction with the lack of amenities was voiced early. In 1884, a public meeting of local residents urged the Railways Department to provide a shelter shed and goods siding, but no action was taken. [3]
An 1894 Railways Department report described the stop as follows:
At the present time there is a stopping place at Egmont Road, but no regular station. The gravel alongside the rails is brought up to formation level and except that the step is rather higher this answers the purpose of a platform... The cost of constructing a platform (100 feet long) at this place would amount to about £27 and a shelter shed £13 in addition — £40 total. [4]
Even with such a modest price tag, it was to be another four years before work was complete. By then, Egmont Road finally had a passenger platform and shelter, and could receive passenger traffic, parcels and small lots of consigned goods. Larger amounts of goods could be consigned to Smart Road, which was only 70 chains (1.4 km) away, or Henwood Road, which was 1.25 miles (2.01 km) away.
A notable infrastructure upgrade at Egmont Road came in 1938, not for the station facilities but for the road crossing adjacent to the station. In a joint project between the Railways Department and local authorities, a road underpass for Egmont Road was constructed beneath the railway line. [5] This grade separation greatly improved safety on the busy rural arterial road connecting New Plymouth with communities in the direction of Mount Egmont, occurring three years after a driver had been badly injured when his vehicle was clipped by the passing New Plymouth - Wanganui express. [6] Notably, Egmont Road was one of the first non-highway roads in New Zealand to receive a grade-separated crossing (excluding major deviation works). [7]
By the 1950s, usage of the station had declined to negligible levels. In June 1959, the Railways Department announced plans to close the station, citing extremely low patronage and the absence of originating traffic. Egmont Road station was officially closed to all traffic on 10 October 1959, and the shelter shed was removed shortly afterwards. [1]
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