North Island Main Trunk Railway
North Island Main Trunk Line ( NIMT ) or North Island Main Trunk Railway (German: North Island Main Line ) is the name of the railway line that connects the two major cities of Auckland and Wellington on the North Island of New Zealand . The line is 680 km long and is carried out in the gauge of 1067 mm (3 feet 6 inches, Cape gauge) used by the New Zealand railways . The North Island Main Trunk Line was added to the List of International Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1997 .
history
Construction of the route
Section Auckland - Te Awamutu
The first railway line built south from Auckland was the eight-mile line from Point Britomart to Onehunga , which opened in 1873. From Penrose in a southerly direction to Mercer, the route was extended on May 20, 1875, to Ngaruawahia on August 13, 1877, to Frankton in December 1877 and via Hamilton to Te Awamutu in 1880, with a length of 160 km. Due to an economic recession and lengthy negotiations with Maori, construction then stalled and Te Awamutu remained the final destination for a few years. Construction of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway towards the Bay of Plenty began in Hamilton in 1880 .
Wellington - Longburn section
The Wellington - Longburn section (at Palmerston North ) was built between 1881 and 1886 by a private company, the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company . This company was taken over by the New Zealand Railways Department in 1908, which then completed the middle section of the route.
Central section of the North Island
Construction of the central section began on April 15, 1885. Due to the extensive work involved in topographically difficult terrain, the work lasted 23 years until the last gap could finally be closed in 1908. The route here runs over the volcanic plateau of the North Island. No less than 9 viaducts had to be built to cross the deep gorges, and this section of the route also includes the famous Raurimu spiral , a loop with a spiral tunnel . The last threshold nail was hammered in during a ceremony on October 6, 1908, by the Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward , at this point near Pokaka there is a memorial stone. Since then, there have been continuous connections between Auckland and Wellington, and in February 1909 a night connection was even introduced.
Finishing works
In the period that followed, the volume of traffic grew steadily, so that not only was the desire for more powerful locomotives expressed, but also after numerous narrow curves and steep sections had been built. To this end, expansion measures were carried out several times, with some longer sections being completely redrawn. In the 1930s in Tawa near Wellington, the route over the mountains of Johnsonville (which is still used today as a branch line in local traffic) was shortened by a tunnel. Also in the 1930s, the Auckland-Westfield section (which is also still used in local traffic) was replaced by a lower-lying route with fewer gradients over Hobson's Bay. In the 1950s, the line from Tawa to Porirua or Plimmerton was expanded to double tracks and the section from Porirua to Plimmerton was tightened somewhat due to the expansion of the port. In the early 1960s, the line in Palmerston North , which previously led through the city center, was relocated to the outskirts. In 1981, the Mangaweka-Utiku re-routing was opened with three new viaducts. In 1985, a new section of the line was inaugurated at Mangaonoho, with two older tunnels being abandoned. The central section between Ta Rapa and Palmerston North was electrified in the 1980s. The clearance profile had to be increased in several tunnels.
Electrical expansion
The plans for the electrical expansion go back to 1918. However, it was not until 1940 when the section from Wellington to Paekakariki was electrified with 1500 V DC. However, only local transport benefited from this, the electrical equipment was extended northwards to Paraparaumu in 1983.
The 411 km long section between Palmerston North and Hamilton, however, was electrified with 25 kV 50 Hz AC voltage; electrical operation was opened in June 1988. Freight traffic benefited from this, as long freight trains in particular were able to overcome the long inclines more quickly with the electric traction.
Plans to electrify additional routes include expanding the suburban network from Wellington north of Paraparaumu to Lindale or Waikanae with 1500 V DC. There are also plans to electrify the suburban network in Auckland.
Long-distance passenger transport
Since the line opened, there has always been scheduled long-distance passenger services between Auckland and Wellington.
Between 1963 and 1968 there was a daytime connection called Scenic Daylight . From 1968 railcars operated on the route, which previously operated rather unsuccessfully between Hamilton and Auckland. These were given an innovative blue paint and were also known under the name Blue Streak .
In 1971 a night connection was introduced with luxurious sleeping cars, the Silver Star . However, this connection had to be discontinued in 1979 due to insufficient capacity. The daily service Silver Fern , which was introduced in 1972 as a replacement for the Blue Streak and operated with multiple units, was much more successful . It was discontinued in 1991 and replaced by the Overlander from Kiwi Rail Scenic Journeys (then Tranz Scenic). The operator of this long-distance connection, Toll Rail , intended in September 2006 to discontinue these trains, which run once a day in both directions, without replacement. Due to massive protests by rail users and politicians, this project was canceled two days before the suspension came into force. As a consequence, however, the timetable was again significantly restricted in the winter half-year. In 2012, the name was changed to Northern Explorer in connection with further timetable restrictions .
Local transport
Auckland
In the Auckland region, local trains run between Britomart Transport Center and Pukekohe on a regular basis.
Wellington
The NIMT is part of Wellington's suburban network between Wellington Station and Waikanae (Kapiti Coast) . The Capital Connection train operates daily from Palmerston North to Wellington .