Te Aro Extension
| Te Aro Extension | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | commuter rail |
| System | New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR) |
| Status | Closed |
| Locale | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Termini |
Lambton Te Aro |
| Stations | 1 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1893-03-27 |
| Closed | 1917-04-23 |
| Owner | Railways Department |
| Operator(s) | Railways Department |
| Character | metropolitan |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1.81 km |
| Number of tracks | single |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
The Te Aro Extension, also known as the Te Aro Branch, was a short branch line railway in Wellington, New Zealand continuing the Wairarapa Line 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.
In the early 1890s, Wellington had two railway stations: Thorndon station of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, whose line ran up the west coast towards Palmerston North; and Lambton station of the New Zealand Railways Department, which served the Wairarapa Line. The present Wellington Railway Station on Bunny Street did not open until 1937. The Railways Department sought to provide improved access to central Wellington, and began work on an extension from Lambton station to Te Aro, with the intention to continue the line to Island Bay. The 1.8 km long Te Aro Extension was opened on 30 March 1893, and Te Aro was the terminus for the line's lifetime, with no further work undertaken. The extension can be seen as either a branch line in its own right, or as an extension of the Wairarapa Line; it was not an extension of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, as that route was privately owned and separate from the national network for most of the Extension's life.
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.
...
Wikipedia