Te Aro Extension
Te Aro Extension | |||
---|---|---|---|
Te Aro | |||
Stations | 1 | ||
Service | |||
Type | commuter rail | ||
System | New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR) | ||
Operator(s) | Railways Department | ||
History | |||
Opened | 1893-03-27 | ||
Closed | 1917-04-23 | ||
Technical | |||
Line length | 1.81 km | ||
Number of tracks | single | ||
Character | metropolitan | ||
Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | ||
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The Te Aro Extension, also known as the Te Aro Branch, was a short
southwards. It operated from 1893 until 1917.It should not be confused with the Te Aro Tramway, which was a trestle causeway built in 1883 as part of foreshore reclamation work.
Construction
In the early 1890s, Wellington had two railway stations:
Operation
The Extension never achieved the degree of usefulness envisaged. It would have been satisfactorily located had it been built in the 1870s, but the changing nature of Wellington city meant that by the time it was built it did not provide the central city access that was intended. Nearby businesses complained about the noise and dirt from the steam locomotives, and it was a disruption to traffic on busy city streets.[2]
The line was built with no facilities for freight handling at Te Aro.[3] Passenger traffic was the line's mainstay, with 212 services a week, approximately 30 a day, in 1904. Special trains operated from Te Aro to the end of the Hutt Park Railway whenever the Wellington Racing Club had a horse racing meeting, though this ceased after 1905 when the Racing Club relocated to Trentham.[4] Competition from Wellington trams led to a decline to only 62 services a week by 1916. Closure had been recommended by the General Manager of Railways in 1914, and this took place in March 1917[2] and the track was removed between 31 January[5] and 27 March 1923.[6]
Today
The development of central Wellington has obliterated most traces of the extension. The corner of a petrol station on
References
Citations
- ^ "R Class steam locomotive on Jervois Quay, Wellington, [1900s]. Reference Number: 1/2-106887-F". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 45.
- ^ a b Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 168.
- ^ ""Hutt Park Railway Company"". Valley Signals.
- ^ "EXIT TE ARO. EVENING POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 31 January 1923. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "The Gateway to the Capital — Wellington's New Railway Station". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- The Dominion Post. 7 August 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
Bibliography
- 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.