Upper Hutt Railway Station
Encyclopedia
Upper Hutt railway station is a two-platform urban railway station serving the city of Upper Hutt
in the Wellington
region of New Zealand
’s North Island. The station lies on the Wairarapa Line
, and is on Station Crescent, off Fergusson Drive. This station is served by the Wairarapa Connection (as a through station) and Tranz Metro
electric multiple units (as a terminus station) trains.
The station has a ticket office, and was staffed full-time until early 2007 because of its railway signalling
responsibilities for the Trentham-Upper Hutt-Featherston section. It is within sight of the Upper Hutt Police Station and Upper Hutt City Council chambers, and next to a shopping precinct. A big-format retail development opened in 2007 to the north of the station between Fergusson Drive and Park Street.
With the line open as far as Upper Hutt, traffic began to increase. Goods traffic initially consisted mostly of timber, followed closely by wool. Passenger services consisted of three weekday return services to Wellington. One effect of the introduction of services between Wellington and Upper Hutt was the reduction in road coach services, which, from the north, terminated at Upper Hutt. Goods wagons, however, continued on to Wellington. Still, railway traffic benefited by a 50% increase due to the establishment of the railhead at Upper Hutt.
The year the station opened, it gained a fourth-class station building, goods shed, coal store, two-road engine shed and two water tanks for the sum of £2,040. In 1955, as part of the station upgrading programme for the imminent arrival of electric multiple unit working of the Hutt Valley Line, a new station building was erected at Upper Hutt.
While trains only operated as far north as Upper Hutt, they were not protected by fixed signals. It was felt that as services were few, slow, and operated only in daylight hours, signals were not necessary. Upper Hutt was one of the first stations on the Wairarapa Line to receive signals, with initial instructions requiring south-bound trains to wait in the siding or loop, and north-bound trains to take the main line. These signals were first listed in the working timetables of 1887. By 1921, increased traffic was causing operational issues, and it was decided to install new automatic signalling which had been recently developed in the United States. Work began in 1921, and by early 1923 was operating between Wellington and Upper Hutt. In 1955, with the opening of the Rimutaka Tunnel and deviation, a Centralised Traffic Control system was installed at Upper Hutt station to control main line points and signals between Trentham and Featherston. The signals used were of the colour light variety. Train control was centralised in Wellington in early 2007.
All locomotive hauled passenger trains between Wellington and Upper Hutt were replaced with electric multiple units from 24 July 1955.
bus routes serve Upper Hutt station:
Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is in Greater Wellington.-Geography:Upper Hutt is 30 km north-east of Wellington...
in the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
’s North Island. The station lies on the Wairarapa Line
Wairarapa Line
The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
, and is on Station Crescent, off Fergusson Drive. This station is served by the Wairarapa Connection (as a through station) and Tranz Metro
Tranz Metro
Tranz Metro, part of KiwiRail, is the operator of Metlink suburban trains owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council in the Wellington Region of New Zealand....
electric multiple units (as a terminus station) trains.
The station has a ticket office, and was staffed full-time until early 2007 because of its railway signalling
Railway signalling
Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
responsibilities for the Trentham-Upper Hutt-Featherston section. It is within sight of the Upper Hutt Police Station and Upper Hutt City Council chambers, and next to a shopping precinct. A big-format retail development opened in 2007 to the north of the station between Fergusson Drive and Park Street.
History
Construction of the Wairarapa Line to Upper Hutt was covered by the River Contract, which was let to contractor Charles McKirdy. The rails reached Upper Hutt in January 1876. Severe flooding at the end of January caused the road between Upper Hutt and Taita to become blocked and damaged, and so to minimise the impact caused by delays to road traffic, the Upper Hutt station was opened on 1 February, despite the concerns of the Public Works Department that the move was premature. The station was not ready for business, as the station and ancillary buildings had not been completed. However, the line and station were handed over to the Provincial Council to run while construction of the line beyond Upper Hutt commenced.With the line open as far as Upper Hutt, traffic began to increase. Goods traffic initially consisted mostly of timber, followed closely by wool. Passenger services consisted of three weekday return services to Wellington. One effect of the introduction of services between Wellington and Upper Hutt was the reduction in road coach services, which, from the north, terminated at Upper Hutt. Goods wagons, however, continued on to Wellington. Still, railway traffic benefited by a 50% increase due to the establishment of the railhead at Upper Hutt.
The year the station opened, it gained a fourth-class station building, goods shed, coal store, two-road engine shed and two water tanks for the sum of £2,040. In 1955, as part of the station upgrading programme for the imminent arrival of electric multiple unit working of the Hutt Valley Line, a new station building was erected at Upper Hutt.
While trains only operated as far north as Upper Hutt, they were not protected by fixed signals. It was felt that as services were few, slow, and operated only in daylight hours, signals were not necessary. Upper Hutt was one of the first stations on the Wairarapa Line to receive signals, with initial instructions requiring south-bound trains to wait in the siding or loop, and north-bound trains to take the main line. These signals were first listed in the working timetables of 1887. By 1921, increased traffic was causing operational issues, and it was decided to install new automatic signalling which had been recently developed in the United States. Work began in 1921, and by early 1923 was operating between Wellington and Upper Hutt. In 1955, with the opening of the Rimutaka Tunnel and deviation, a Centralised Traffic Control system was installed at Upper Hutt station to control main line points and signals between Trentham and Featherston. The signals used were of the colour light variety. Train control was centralised in Wellington in early 2007.
All locomotive hauled passenger trains between Wellington and Upper Hutt were replaced with electric multiple units from 24 July 1955.
Services
The following MetlinkPublic transport in Wellington
Public transport in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is well developed compared to other parts of the country. The system covers the Greater Wellington region, including Wellington city, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, the Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa.-Administration:Public transport in...
bus routes serve Upper Hutt station:
- 91: Airport Flyer
- 92: Porirua
- 110: Petone
- 111: Totara Park
- 112: Te Marua
- 114: Poets Block
- 115: Pinehaven
External links
- Passenger service timetables from Metlink and Tranz Metro.