Ellerslie Train Station
Encyclopedia
Ellerslie
Train Station is on the Southern Line of the Auckland railway network. It has an island platform
.
and Kalmia Street. At the southern end of the station there is an underpass between Findlay Street and Sultan Street.
and Onehunga
via Newmarket
, Ellerslie
and Penrose
was opened with great public celebration. The line through Ellerslie subsequently became part of the North Island Main Trunk and later the North Auckland Line, with the branch line
from Penrose to Onehunga becoming the Onehunga Branch. The station at Ellerslie was initially between the railway bridges, with the main road running directly through the village and intersecting the line at a level crossing. By 1874 residents became concerned at a number of accidents that had occurred at the crossing and successfully lobbied for relocation of the station to the opposite side of the road, requiring realignment of the road to its present route. The railway encouraged suburban settlement and allowed a daily delivery of letters to the station until the opening of a post office in 1911 and also provided a telegraph office.
From its opening the station was extremely busy with passengers and goods travelling to the port of Onehunga, visitors to the racecourse and gardens, and racehorses travelling from around New Zealand to compete at Ellerslie racecourse. Four or five sidings were constructed specifically for horse boxes and hundreds of residents often gathered to witness their arrival and unloading. The station has had a variety of footbridges, one of which was involved in a 1943 derailment where the train's engine caused the bridge to collapse after striking the supports.
Train traffic increased considerably with industrial development, and between 1950 and 1959, when William Durbridge was appointed stationmaster, up to ten staff members were permanently employed. In November 1959 a new station with modern loading facilities was opened at Tamaki and Durbridge was subsequently transferred, Ellerslie becoming passenger-only.
In 1960 the sidings were torn up to provide space for the Southern Motorway. The old station was severely damaged by fire in the early 1970s and was demolished in 1972. A shelter was then built and this was in turn replaced by smaller shelters in the mid-1990s. A new station similar to those elsewhere on the Auckland suburban system was opened in 2009.
Ellerslie, New Zealand
Ellerslie is a suburb of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres to the southeast of the city centre, close to State Highway 1...
Train Station is on the Southern Line of the Auckland railway network. It has an island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
.
Access to Station
Access to the station at the northern end is by a ramp down from the footbridge crossing the SH1 Southern Motorway between Main Highway, EllerslieEllerslie, New Zealand
Ellerslie is a suburb of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres to the southeast of the city centre, close to State Highway 1...
and Kalmia Street. At the southern end of the station there is an underpass between Findlay Street and Sultan Street.
History
In December 1873 a railway line between AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Onehunga
Onehunga
Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland City, New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is eight kilometres south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of One Tree Hill, Maungakiekie....
via Newmarket
Newmarket, New Zealand
Newmarket is an Auckland suburb to the south-east of the central business district. With its high building density, especially of retail shops, it is considered New Zealand's premier retailing area, and a rival of local competitor Auckland CBD...
, Ellerslie
Ellerslie, New Zealand
Ellerslie is a suburb of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres to the southeast of the city centre, close to State Highway 1...
and Penrose
Penrose, New Zealand
Penrose is an industrial suburb in Auckland City, New Zealand. It is located to the southeast of the city centre, at a distance of about nine kilometres, between the suburbs of Oranga and Mount Wellington, and close to the Mangere Inlet, an arm of the Manukau Harbour...
was opened with great public celebration. The line through Ellerslie subsequently became part of the North Island Main Trunk and later the North Auckland Line, with the branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
from Penrose to Onehunga becoming the Onehunga Branch. The station at Ellerslie was initially between the railway bridges, with the main road running directly through the village and intersecting the line at a level crossing. By 1874 residents became concerned at a number of accidents that had occurred at the crossing and successfully lobbied for relocation of the station to the opposite side of the road, requiring realignment of the road to its present route. The railway encouraged suburban settlement and allowed a daily delivery of letters to the station until the opening of a post office in 1911 and also provided a telegraph office.
From its opening the station was extremely busy with passengers and goods travelling to the port of Onehunga, visitors to the racecourse and gardens, and racehorses travelling from around New Zealand to compete at Ellerslie racecourse. Four or five sidings were constructed specifically for horse boxes and hundreds of residents often gathered to witness their arrival and unloading. The station has had a variety of footbridges, one of which was involved in a 1943 derailment where the train's engine caused the bridge to collapse after striking the supports.
Train traffic increased considerably with industrial development, and between 1950 and 1959, when William Durbridge was appointed stationmaster, up to ten staff members were permanently employed. In November 1959 a new station with modern loading facilities was opened at Tamaki and Durbridge was subsequently transferred, Ellerslie becoming passenger-only.
In 1960 the sidings were torn up to provide space for the Southern Motorway. The old station was severely damaged by fire in the early 1970s and was demolished in 1972. A shelter was then built and this was in turn replaced by smaller shelters in the mid-1990s. A new station similar to those elsewhere on the Auckland suburban system was opened in 2009.