Dunedin railway station

Dunedin railway station
Anzac Square and Dunedin railway station
General information
Location	Anzac Square, Dunedin
Owned by	Dunedin City Council
Line(s)	Main South Line
Platforms	2
Connections	Dunedin Railways
Construction
Parking	Yes
History
Opened	1906
Heritage New Zealand – Category 1
Designated	1-Sep-1983
Reference no.	59

Dunedin railway station is a prominent landmark and tourist site in Dunedin, a city in the South Island of New Zealand. It is speculated by locals to be the most photographed building in the country, as well as the second most photographed in the southern hemisphere, after the Sydney Opera House.^[1][2]

Dunedin Railways currently operates three tourist train lines out of the station, The Inlander, The Seasider, and The Victorian.^[3] There are no dedicated intercity or suburban services still operating, although in the past it was the country's busiest station, being served by up to 100 trains a day.^[4][2]

It is designed by George Troup, in the Flemish Renaissance style, and it is his most famous design. It earned Troup the nickname of "Gingerbread George".^[5]

Early rail in Dunedin

Dunedin was linked to Christchurch by rail in 1878, with a link south to Invercargill completed the following year, and the first railway workshops were opened at

The logistics of constructing what was at the time New Zealand's busiest railway station took three years before construction began in 1903.^[7] Dunedin required a station for a wide range of activities: it was a commercial and industrial centre, close to gold and coalfields, with a hinterland that was dependent on livestock and forestry for its economy.

Construction

In an eclectic, revived

The foundation stone was laid by the Minister of Railways Joseph Ward on 3 June 1904.^[6] The Prime Minister Richard Seddon was also present. The station was officially opened by Ward, by then Prime Minister, on 12 November 1906. Construction was kept within budget, and cost £40,000.^[12]

History

In its early days the station was the country's busiest, handling up to 100 trains a day, including suburban services to Mosgiel and Port Chalmers, railcars to Palmerston and the Otago Central Railway and other trains to Christchurch and Invercargill. The city's economic decline and the reduction in the prominence of rail transport means that only a handful of trains use the station today.

The station used to have dock platforms at both the north and south ends and a crossover midway along the main platform. Large shunting yards, most of which have now gone, occupied land to the south. Much of this land has now been subdivided into wholesale and light industrial properties.

With the decrease in passenger rail traffic, the station now serves more functions than the one for which it was designed. Bought by the

A thorough refurbishment of the exterior took place in the late 1990s, accompanied by the landscaping of the gardens outside the entrance in Anzac Square.[14]

In October 2006 its centenary was celebrated with a festival of railway events, including the operation of eight steam railway locomotives from all over New Zealand. In 2006 it was recognised by DK Eyewitness Travel as one of "The World's 200 Must-See Places".^[15][16]

On 12 February 2008, a container wagon struck and partially destroyed the historic footbridge at the southern end of the station, joining Anzac Square with the industrial zone close to the wharves. Four people were on the bridge, with one suffering minor injuries when she fell 4.5 metres.^[17] Reconstruction of a footbridge of similar design on the same site was carried out in September–October 2008.^[18]

In 2020 the railway station was used for filming scenes for the movie The Power of the Dog, for which Jane Campion won the Academy Award for Best Director.^[19]

Anzac Square and Anzac Avenue

Immediately outside the station is Anzac Square, which, despite its name, is roughly triangular in shape, and was extensively remodelled and extended in the 1990s to create a formal knot garden.^[14] Directly across the square is Lower Stuart Street, which leads to the city's centre, The Octagon, from where the station is clearly visible as a major landmark. The station thus forms a terminating vista for Lower Stuart Street.

The square is at the southern end of Anzac Avenue, a kilometre-long tree-lined street running roughly parallel to the railway, which leads to

Logan Park was the site of the

References