Ngauranga railway station

Last updated

Ngauranga
Metlink regional rail
Ngauranga railway station 04.JPG
General information
LocationHutt Road, Ngauranga, Wellington, New Zealand
Coordinates 41°14′55.20″S174°48′48.88″E / 41.2486667°S 174.8135778°E / -41.2486667; 174.8135778
Owned by Greater Wellington Regional Council
Line(s) Melling Line
Hutt Valley Line
PlatformsSingle island
TracksMain line (2)
Construction
ParkingNo
Bicycle facilitiesNo
Other information
Fare zone3 [1]
History
Opened20 April 1874
Rebuilt1966
Electrified14 September 1953
Previous namesNgahauranga
Services
Preceding station Transdev Wellington Following station
Petone
towards Melling
Melling Line Wellington
Terminus
Petone
towards Upper Hutt
Hutt Valley Line

Ngauranga railway station is a single island platform railway station in the mainly industrial and commercial suburb of Ngauranga on the Wairarapa Line in Wellington, New Zealand. It is on the Wellington suburban rail network and is served by Melling Line trains and some only Hutt Valley Line trains. Wairarapa Connection trains pass this station but do not stop. All trains are run by Transdev as part of the Metlink network.

Contents

Ngauranga formerly handled freight traffic, but is now used exclusively by commuter passenger trains. It is next to a waste disposal facility and at the bottom of the Ngauranga Gorge, next to the major road junction where State Highway 2 joins State Highway 1.

The North Island Main Trunk line crossing the Hutt Road to enter the first tunnel of the Tawa Flat deviation. Ngauranga station is in the background, alongside State Highway 1. Wellington Motorway.jpg
The North Island Main Trunk line crossing the Hutt Road to enter the first tunnel of the Tawa Flat deviation. Ngauranga station is in the background, alongside State Highway 1.

History

Though the rails of the Wairarapa Line reached Ngahauranga at New Year 1874, [2] the first section of the line was not opened until 14 April 1874. [3] Trains initially ran non-stop to the terminus of the line from Wellington, and it would not be until a week after opening, on 20 April, that Ngahauranga was included as a stop. [4]

Ngauranga station, looking south. To the left is the Down line, to the right the Up line. Behind the fence are the waste disposal facility and the abutment for the southbound bridge of the Ngauranga Flyover. Ngauranga railway station 01.JPG
Ngauranga station, looking south. To the left is the Down line, to the right the Up line. Behind the fence are the waste disposal facility and the abutment for the southbound bridge of the Ngauranga Flyover.
Ngauranga station, looking north. Notice the extra overhead wiring for a track between the Up line and the fence that has been removed. Ngauranga railway station 02.JPG
Ngauranga station, looking north. Notice the extra overhead wiring for a track between the Up line and the fence that has been removed.

Ngahauranga received its first building in late 1875. [4] About 1879, the station received a class 6 passenger shelter costing £160. At the time, it had neither crossing loops nor sidings. [5]

Livestock did not become a major source of traffic until the line reached Featherston in 1878, and was bolstered by the opening of the Wellington Meat Preserving and Refrigerating Company at Ngahauranga in 1884. [6] To serve the abattoir, a siding was laid from the station yard across Hutt Road to the company's works in June of that year. About 1890 the first station was replaced by an island platform and pens for unloading stock for the meatworks. [7]

The company had quickly become a significant customer for the railway, and in 1895 150,486 head of stock were railed to Ngahauranga. [8] By about 1900, the station had stockyards and two sidings. [9]

In the days of single-line working, Ngahauranga was used to cross trains and in 1887 became one of the first stations in the region to receive new signalling equipment. Instructions issued for the crossing of trains specified that Down trains were to take the loop while Up trains were to use the main line. [10]

Entrance to the tunnel formerly used by the Ngauranga Industrial Siding (Wellington Meat Export Company) from the Ngauranga railway station yard, now the access road to the waste disposal facility. Ngauranga railway station 05.JPG
Entrance to the tunnel formerly used by the Ngauranga Industrial Siding (Wellington Meat Export Company) from the Ngauranga railway station yard, now the access road to the waste disposal facility.

Early in the 20th century it was decided to duplicate the line between Wellington and Lower Hutt. Preparatory work was started in 1903 with construction commencing the following year. The duplication reached Ngahauranga in 1908, but was not completed until three years later when it opened to all traffic on 4 April 1911. [11]

The Wellington Meat Export Company, formed in 1881, operated an abattoir in the Ngauranga Gorge, and utilised the Ngauranga Industrial Siding to transport livestock in and carcasses out from the network of sidings in its own yard. The siding ran through a small tunnel under the motorway and crossed the Hutt Road to the works. The company operated the siding with a 20-ton Barclay 0-4-0ST until 1962, at which point it was replaced by a four-wheel diesel shunter. [12] The siding was closed and removed in the 1980s, and the tunnel under the motorway is now used for vehicular access to the waste disposal facility.

In 1966, the construction of the new motorway into Wellington necessitated the realignment of the railway through Ngauranga. A new station was constructed on reclaimed land including the present-day station building, which replaced the much grander wooden structure of the old station. The motorway was built over the siding to the abattoir by constructing a tunnel for the siding. [13]

In 1968, there was a reasonably extensive network of sidings at Ngauranga, including three lines on the western side of the station running parallel to the two main lines. The industrial siding to the abattoir connected with the station sidings at the southern end of the yard. [14] The construction of the Ngauranga Flyover and motorway interchange in 1982 was the last major construction work in the vicinity of the station. Only the two main lines on either side of the island platform remain.

Walkway from Hutt Road and subway entrance to Ngauranga railway station. Ngauranga railway station 03.JPG
Walkway from Hutt Road and subway entrance to Ngauranga railway station.

Services

Melling Line trains stop here every hour Monday to Friday, with daily half-hourly Hutt Valley Line trains supplementing at peak times. It is possible to transfer to buses to/from Johnsonville, Newlands or Churton Park at Ngauranga, to commute to the Hutt Valley without going into Wellington.

Bus

Metlink bus routes 1, 19e, 52, 56, 57, 58, 83 and 60e pass close to the station.

Facilities

A station building on the platform provides shelter for waiting passengers. Access to the station is by a subway under the Wellington Urban Motorway that connects via a short walkway to Hutt Road. No car parking is provided.

Footnotes

  1. Metlink. "Text description of fare zone boundaries". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2007.
  2. Cameron, Walter Norman (1976). "Chapter 4: Construction And Operation, Wellington To Upper Hutt". A Line of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. Wellington: The New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. p. 74. ISBN   0-908573-00-6. ... as by New Year 1874, the rails had reached Ngahauranga.
  3. "Chapter 4: Construction and Operation, Wellington to Upper Hutt". A Line of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. p. 77. The Hutt Railway was opened this morning ... Thus did the Evening Post of 14 April 1874 record the opening of the railway ...
  4. 1 2 Hoy, Douglas G. (1970). "Early Years". Rails Out of the Capital: Suburban Railways, Wellington. Wellington: The New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. p. 13. Kaiwharawhara and Ngauranga became stopping places on 20 April 1874, but the first buildings were not erected until later in the following year.
  5. "Chapter 4: Construction and Operation, Wellington to Upper Hutt". A Line of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. p. 89. At this time Kaiwarra and Ngahauranga both received sixth-class stations, costing £160 each. Neither station had crossing loops or sidings as yet.
  6. "Chapter 8: Operating The Incline". A Line of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. pp. 188–189. Little livestock had been conveyed on the Wellington Section until the line was extended to Featherston, ... The establishment of ... the Wellington Meat Preserving and Freezing Company at Ngahauranga in 1884, gave a considerable impetus to livestock traffic, ...
  7. Meyer, R J (Bob) (1990). Up in the Hills: a history of Johnsonville. Wellington: Northern Suburbs Community Newspaper Trust. p. 37. ISBN   0-473-00925-0.
  8. "Chapter 13: Branch Lines And Sidings". A Line of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. p. 300. The Wellington Meat Preserving and Refrigerating Company commenced operations at Ngahauranga in 1884, with a siding from the station yard across the Hutt Road to the works. ... In 1895, 150,486 head of stock were railed to Ngahauranga, ... Livestock cartage became big business for this railway. ... At or Near: Ngahauranga, Grantee: Wellington Meat Export Company, Opened: 6/1884
  9. "Chapter 10: The Stations". A Line of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. p. 228. By about 1900 Ngahauranga station had grown to the extent of boasting two sidings and stock yards, ...
  10. "Chapter 11: Signalling And Train Working". A Line of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. p. 248. The first stations on this Section to receive signals were Ngahauranga, ... the working timetable for 1887 being the first one to list them. Instructions for the crossing of trains laid down that southbound trains were to take the siding or loop, and northbound trains were to take the main line.
  11. "Chapter 13: Branch Lines and Sidings". A Line of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. pp. 291, 293. Surveys and preparatory work were carried out in 1903 and in the following year work began at Lower Hutt and Petone ... The duplication reached Ngahauranga in 1908, Kaiwarra in 1909, and finally Wellington in 1911. The entire double line from Lower Hutt to Lambton was opened on 4 April 1911 ...
  12. "Private Lines". Rails Out of the Capital: Suburban Railways, Wellington. p. 84. The Wellington Meat Export Company at Ngauranga is Wellington's other meat works and has quite a number of sidings within its works. Connection with the N.Z.R. at Ngauranga station is via a short line running across the Hutt Road and through a small tunnel under the motorway. Since about 1909 the Company has had its own locomotive for shunting between the works and Ngauranga station. Until 1962 this was carried out by a 20-ton Barclay 0-4-0ST that was built in Scotland in 1909. It was replaced by a four-wheeled steeple cab diesel shunter ...
  13. Hoy, D. G. (1970). "The Railway Today". Rails Out of the Capital: Suburban Railways, Wellington. New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. p. 77. ASIN   B0006C70KK. Ngauranga, the next station, is the fourth to be built in the area and the present was erected early in 1966, when the whole area was re-aligned to make way for the new motorway. Standing on newly reclaimed land, the station building is only a small waiting shed, a marked contrast to the larger wooden building it replaced. The yard is quite extensive and a short tunnel takes one siding under the motorway to the Wellington Meat Export Company's works in Ngauranga Gorge.
  14. "Appendix D: Diagrams". Rails Out of the Capital: Suburban Railways, Wellington. p. 107.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rimutaka Incline</span>

The Rimutaka Incline was a 3-mile-long (4.8 km), 3 ft 6 in gauge railway line on an average grade of 1-in-15 using the Fell system between Summit and Cross Creek stations on the Wairarapa side of the original Wairarapa Line in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. The term "Rimutaka Incline" is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to other parts or all of the closed and deviated section of the Wairarapa Line between Upper Hutt and Speedy's Crossing, near Featherston. The incline formation is now part of the Remutaka Rail Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wairarapa Line</span> Secondary railway line in New Zealand

The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand. The line runs for 172 kilometres (107 mi), connects the capital city Wellington with the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line at Woodville, via Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Masterton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaiwharawhara railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Kaiwharawhara railway station, a former railway station on the North Island Main Trunk and the Wairarapa Line in Wellington in New Zealand, closed in 2013. It was the first station north of Wellington, serving the early suburb of Kaiwharawhara. Prior to its closure it was served by trains operated by Tranz Metro as part of the Metlink network on the Melling Line, the Hutt Valley Line and the Kapiti Line.

Ngauranga is a suburb of New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, in the lower North Island. Situated on the western bank of Wellington Harbour, it lies to the north of the centre of the city. The name comes from the Māori language ngā ūranga, meaning "the landing place ". The Ngauranga Railway Station was known as "Ngahauranga" when it opened in 1874.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petone railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Petone railway station is a dual platform, suburban railway station located in the Lower Hutt, New Zealand suburb of Petone. It is on the Hutt Valley section of the Wairarapa Line, 10.5 km (6.5 mi) north of Wellington, and is the junction for the Melling Branch to Melling, which diverges westward from the main line to the north of the station. The station is served by Metlink suburban services, operated by Transdev Wellington, to Wellington, Melling, Taita, Upper Hutt and Masterton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hutt Valley Line</span> Train service in New Zealand

The Hutt Valley Line is the electrified train service operated by Transdev Wellington on behalf of Metlink on the section of the Wairarapa Line railway between Wellington and Upper Hutt, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melling Branch</span> Commuter Branch Line New Zealand

The Melling Branch is a railway branch line in the Hutt Valley, north of Wellington, New Zealand. It is part of the national rail network and formerly part of the Wairarapa Line. Until 2010 it was one of only two passenger-only lines in the country, since that year the two being joined by the Onehunga Branch and later by the Manukau Branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnsonville Branch</span> Railway line in New Zealand

The Johnsonville Branch, also known as the Johnsonville Line, is a commuter branch line railway from the main Railway Station of Wellington, New Zealand to the northern suburb of Johnsonville via Ngaio and Khandallah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maymorn railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Maymorn railway station is a twin platform, rural request stop railway station serving the small settlement of Maymorn on the Maymorn Plateau, east of Upper Hutt, in New Zealand’s North Island. It is served by the Wairarapa Connection, and sees five services each way Monday to Thursday, six on Friday and two on Saturday and Sunday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renall Street railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Renall Street railway station is an urban single-platform railway station on Renall Street in the Wairarapa town of Masterton in New Zealand’s North Island. Renall Street is one of three railway stations in Masterton, the others being Masterton and Solway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Hutt railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Upper Hutt railway station is a suburban railway station serving central Upper Hutt, New Zealand. The station is on the Wairarapa Line, 32.4 km (20.1 mi) north of Wellington, and is served by Transdev Wellington on behalf of the Greater Wellington Regional Council. The station is the northern terminus for the electrified Hutt Valley Line to and from Wellington. The diesel-hauled Wairarapa Connection stops at Upper Hutt on its route between Wellington and Masterton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterloo railway station, Lower Hutt</span> Railway station

Waterloo railway station is a dual-platform suburban railway station located in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, and serving immediately the suburbs of Waterloo, Lower Hutt Central and Woburn. The station stands on the Hutt Valley section of the Wairarapa Line, 15.5 km (9.6 mi) north of Wellington. Trains stopping at Waterloo run to Wellington, Taita, Upper Hutt and Masterton, as well as to points in between. Waterloo serves as a major bus-rail interchange, connecting buses to and from central Lower Hutt, Naenae and Wainuiomata with trains to and from Wellington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaitoke railway station</span> Defunct railway station in New Zealand

Kaitoke railway station was a single-platform rural railway station on the Wairarapa Line between Upper Hutt and Featherston in the Wellington region of New Zealand's North Island. Initially it was the railhead of the Wairarapa Line, at a point where the railway met the main road between Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa. Later it was a point at which locomotives were changed, steam engines were watered, trains could cross, and passengers could make use of the refreshment room.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangaroa railway station</span> Defunct railway station in New Zealand

Mangaroa railway station was a single-platform rural railway station on the Wairarapa Line between Upper Hutt and Featherston in the Wellington region of New Zealand’s North Island, on the section that was replaced by the Rimutaka Tunnel deviation in 1955. It served the small rural settlement of Mangaroa, in the Mangaroa Valley, east of Upper Hutt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summit railway station, Wellington Region</span> Defunct railway station in New Zealand

Summit railway station was at the summit of the Wairarapa Line over the Rimutaka Ranges in the Wellington region of New Zealand’s North Island and was where trains were marshalled for a descent down the Rimutaka Incline or for Fell locomotives to be extricated from a train that had ascended the Incline. The station was between Kaitoke and Cross Creek stations on the Wairarapa Line. The station was bypassed when the Rimutaka Tunnel was opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Creek railway station</span> Defunct railway station in New Zealand

Cross Creek railway station was the base of operations for the Rimutaka Incline, a Fell railway over the Rimutaka Ranges, and part of the original Wairarapa Line between Upper Hutt and Featherston in the Wellington region of New Zealand's North Island. The station was between Pigeon Bush and Summit stations on the Wairarapa Line. The station was bypassed when the Rimutaka Tunnel was opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raroa railway station</span> New Zealand railway station

Raroa railway station, one of eight stations on the Johnsonville Branch, serves the suburbs of Raroa and Broadmeadows. It is one of four stations on the line located on a curve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waingawa railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Waingawa railway station is a station on the Wairarapa Line in the Masterton district of New Zealand's North Island. It is located about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of the Waingawa River and is situated in a heavy industrial area. It served passenger trains until 1992 and now only handles freight.

The Petone Workshops were a government-owned railways maintenance and repair facility located in Petone, in Lower Hutt in the Wellington region of New Zealand's North Island. It took over construction and maintenance of rolling stock in the Wellington region from the Pipitea Point facility, starting in 1876, and became the only such facility in the region from 1878 until the opening of the replacement Hutt Workshops facility in 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Hutt railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

Western Hutt railway station, formerly Lower Hutt, is an intermediate station on the single-track Melling Line in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, It is served by Metlink electric multiple unit trains operated by Transdev Wellington under the Metlink brand.