East Coast Main Trunk
East Coast Main Trunk | |||
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Overview | |||
Owner | Hamilton | ||
Service | |||
Type | Main line | ||
System | New Zealand railway network | ||
Operator(s) | KiwiRail | ||
Technical | |||
Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
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East Coast Main Trunk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) is a railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, originally running between Hamilton and Taneatua via Tauranga, connecting the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty. The ECMT now runs between Hamilton and Kawerau, with a branch line to Taneatua from the junction at Hawkens. The line is built to narrow gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), the uniform gauge in New Zealand. It was known as the East Coast Main Trunk Railway until 2011, when the word "Railway" was dropped.[1]
History
Construction
In 1880, the
Original intention
Originally in the 1910s and 1920s, the East Coast Main Trunk line was to run from Pokeno to Gisborne via Paeroa, Tauranga, Opotiki and through the Waioeka Gorge, connecting with the
Work began on extending the line from the
Due to two world wars, an economic depression, and an influenza epidemic, the full railway was never completed. In June 1928, 250 men employed by the Public Works Department (many living in government houses or huts) were dismissed, to be replaced by NZR staff.[15][16] As late as 1939 £45,000 was provided for extension from Taneatua to Opotiki[17] and a route pegged out as far as a proposed Waimana railway station.[18]
Several routes for the link from the
Kaimai Tunnel deviation
The
Closure of the northern route
After the opening of the Kaimai Tunnel, the route through the Karangahake Gorge to the eastern junction closed in 1978 and was dismantled from 1980 to 1983.
There were proposals to keep the 14.3km Apata - Katikati section of the railway open as a branch line to carry kiwifruit exports to the Port of Tauranga.
Electrification
A paper written in 2008 for the then railway infrastructure owner ONTRACK (now KiwiRail Network) investigated the possibility of electrifying the East Coast Main Trunk from Hamilton to Tauranga.[23] In May 2021, KiwiRail, Beca and Systra published the North Island Electrification Study,[24][25] which put the expected estimate for electrification of the ECMT from Hamilton to Mt Maunganui at $426m.[25]
Passenger services
Taneatua Express
When the line opened to its terminus at Taneatua, the Taneatua Express ran from Auckland. The service took 12 hours, later reduced to 10½ hours, and ran two or three times weekly. The last train ran on 7 February 1959, and was replaced by a railcar service as far as Te Puke, due to negligible traffic to Taneatua. The railway struggled to compete with private cars and the service was withdrawn on 11 September 1967. Other than special excursions, there were no passenger services until 1991.
Kaimai Express
In 1991, the Kaimai Express started and ran to Tauranga. Along with the Geyserland Express it used the Silver Fern railcars that had been used on the North Island Main Trunk line. The first train ran on 9 December 1991, running a morning service from Tauranga to Auckland and afternoon service from Auckland to Tauranga, taking 3½ hours. 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.
Freight
The ECMT carries 52% of freight between Waikato and Bay of Plenty[26] and is one of Kiwi Rail's most profitable lines. In 2018 163 trains a week passed under Hamilton, 90 of them on weekday nights, or evenings, 37 at weekends and 36 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. The line is at 70% capacity and growing.[27] By 2022 the average had increased slightly to 38 trains a day.[28]
To provide extra capacity crossing loops were added about 2012 at Ruakura, Eureka, Motumaoho, Tamihana and Apata.[29] There are 11 passing loops between Hamilton and Tauranga, 7 of them 900 m (3,000 ft) long and 4 shorter.[30] In 2020 a new container terminal at Kawerau was announced.[31] Delays around land transfers means the project as of late 2023 has yet to start construction.[32]
Connecting lines
Line Name | Date Opened | Date Closed | ECMT Junction | Terminus | Length | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Island Main Trunk | 19 December 1877 | Open | Frankton Junction
|
Auckland/Wellington
|
680 km | |
Cambridge Branch | 8 October 1884 | Open | Ruakura Junction | Hautapu | 14.8 km | Hautapu-Cambridge section (4.5 km) closed and lifted 1999. |
Rotorua Branch | 8 March 1886 | 7 October 2001 | Morrinsville Junction | Rotorua | 110 km | Built by Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Co. First 24.6 km added to ECMT on opening of Kaimai Deviation, 1978. Section between Waharoa and Kinleith became Kinleith Branch in 1978, with Rotorua Branch becoming secondary branch section between Putaruru and Rotorua. Last 2 km of Rotorua Branch closed and lifted in 1989 with station relocated to Koutu. Rotorua Branch mothballed 2002. |
Waitoa Branch | 1 March 1886 | Open | Morrinsvillle Junction | Waitoa | 10 km | Formerly part of the Thames Branch 1886-1928 & 1978-1991, Part of ECMT 1928-1978. |
Thames Branch | 19 December 1898 | 1991 | Paeroa Junction | Thames North | 33 km | Morrinsvillle-Thames 70 km 1883-1928 & 1978-1991, Paeroa Junction-Thames North 33 km 1928-1978. Lifted beyond Waitoa 1995. |
Mount Maunganui Branch | 16 October 1913 | Open | Te Maunga Junction | Mount Maunganui | 7.5 km | Portage line for Public Works Dept 1913-1928. Reopened for RNZAF 1942-1946. Reopened by NZR 1955.
|
Kawerau Branch
|
26 October 1953 | Open | Hawkens Junction | Kawerau | 14 km | Incorporated into ECMT 1978. |
Taneatua Branch
|
2 September 1928 | Mothballed | Hawkens Junction | Taneatua | 25 km | Formerly eastern end of ECMT until 1978. |
Connecting private railways
Junction Station | Date Opened | Date Closed | Owner | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Morrinsville | 1 March 1886 | Open | Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Co. | Purchased by the Government in 1886 (became Rotorua Branch.) |
Waikino | 1925 | Kauri Timber Co. | Steam-powered bush tramway to Waitawheta valley | |
Waikino/Waihi | 1897 | 1952 | Waihi Gold Mining Company | 2'9" steam railway between Waikino and Waihi, extensive network in Waihi Borough. |
Waihi | 1899 | 1921 | Waihi Timber Company | Steam powered bush tram to Waimata valley and Mataora Valley |
Omokoroa | 1912 | 1947 | Whakamarama Land & Timber Co | Steam powered bush tramway from Omokoroa Point to deep in the Kaimai Ranges. |
Edgecumbe | 1926 | 1966[33] | Matahina Tramway Inc | Owned by several sawmillers including WBM, Matahina Forests Ltd, Kauri Sawmills Ltd. |
Awakeri | 1939 | 2002 | Whakatane Board Mills Ltd / Carter Holt Harvey | 10 km line, later Whakatane Board Mills Line. Operation taken over by Tranz Rail in 1999. Closed and lifted 2002. |
References
Citations
- ^ "NZGB Gazetteer Search Result - Official Name East Coast Main Trunk". gazetteer.linz.govt.nz. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ "THE RAILWAY WORKS. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 24 April 1884. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ Wood 1996, p. 46.
- ^ "Railways Authorisation Act, 1904". NZ Law online. 1904.
- ^ Wood 1996, p. 93.
- ^ "Map of ECMT showing completed sections". Auckland Star. 28 March 1928.
- ^ "Photo of a history-making train to Tauranga". Auckland Star. 29 March 1928.
- ^ "Photos of two large bridges on the ECMT". New Zealand Herald. 28 March 1928.
- ^ "Photo in Tauranga of the official opening of the new line". Auckland Star. 28 March 1928.
- ^ "1938 map of proposed line". New Zealand Herald. 25 January 1938.
- ^ "1938, Bob Semple to turn first sod". Auckland Star. 27 January 1938.
- ^ "1938, photo of Bob Semple". New Zealand Herald. 28 January 1938.
- ^ "1938, presentation to Bob Semple". New Zealand Herald. 28 January 1938.
- ^ "North Island Rail Profit; S.I. Loss PRESS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 4 October 1962. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Dismissed: Public Works employees on East Coast Railway". Auckland Star. 15 June 1928.
- ^ "Services terminated; Public Works employees on East Coast Railway". New Zealand Herald. 16 June 1928.
- ^ "EXTRA £815,000 - NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 16 September 1939. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "Public Works Statement". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1940. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 109–114.
- ^ ISSN 0028-8470.
- ^ Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 17.
- ISSN 0110-6155.
- ^ "EXTENSION OF ELECTRIFICATION – Benefits and Costs – Report to ONTRACK". Murray King and Francis Small Consulting. 2008.
- ISSN 2703-6197.
- ^ a b "North Island Electrification". FYI.org.nz. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "DRAFT Waikato Plan – June 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2016.
- ^ "Notice of Meeting" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council. 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Kiwirail feedback on the Inquiry into the future of inter-regional passenger rail". 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Joint Officials Group (JOG) Rail Update" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council. 29 March 2012.
- ^ "STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF DAVID GORDON ON BEHALF OF KIWIRAIL HOLDINGS LIMITED" (PDF). 26 March 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Investment in Kawerau hub welcomed". KiwiRail. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ McCarthy, Diane (13 September 2023). "Container terminal still on track". Sun Live. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Russell Jnr. 1980, p. 22.
References
- Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.
- Leitch, David; Scott, Brian (1995). Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways (1998 ed.). Wellington: Grantham House. ISBN 1-86934-048-5.
- Mulligan, Barbara (2000). New Zealand Rail Trails: A Guide to 42 Ghost Lines. Wellington: Grantham House Publishing. pp. 5, 32–36. ISBN 978-1-86934-126-8.
- Russell Jnr., John (1980). Bay of Plenty Railways. Railway Enthusiasts Society.
- Wood, Chris (1996). Steaming to the Sunrise; a history of railways in the Gisborne region. Gisborne, New Zealand: IPL Books, in conjunction with Te Rau Herald Print. ISBN 0-908876-92-0.
External links
- 1937 Railways Magazine article about Hamilton bridge over the Waikato River.
- "Crumbs from Otira's Table (an Auckland cartoon saying the ECMT should get more money instead)". New Zealand Herald. 6 June 1914.
- Timetables - 1884, 1886
Photos -