Epuni railway station facts for kids

Epuni railway station is a train stop in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. It helps people from the areas of Epuni and Fairfield travel around. This station is part of the Hutt Valley Line, which is a busy train route. It is about 16.5 kilometers (or 10 miles) north of the main Wellington train station.

Trains that stop at Epuni are electric trains called "Matangi" FP class. These trains are part of Metlink's network. You can catch a train from Epuni to Wellington, Taita, or Upper Hutt.

The station has a special type of platform called an island platform. This means the platform is in the middle, with train tracks on both sides. You can get to the platform using an underground walkway, called a pedestrian subway. This subway connects to Cambridge Terrace and Fairfield on one side, and Oxford Terrace and Epuni on the other.

Station History

Epuni station first opened its doors on January 7, 1946. It was built as part of a plan to extend the train line from Waterloo to Naenae. When it first opened, there was only one train track. A second track was added about 15 months later, in April 1947.

In September 1953, the train line through Epuni became electrified. This means that electric power lines were installed above the tracks to power the trains. A special building was also built on the platform. It helped manage the electricity for the trains, acting as a switching point between other power stations.

Later, in March 1954, the main Wairarapa Line was changed to go through the Hutt Valley. This made Epuni station an important stop on the main line between Wellington and Upper Hutt.

Station Rebuild (2008-2009)

Epuni station had to close for a short time on May 15, 2008. This was because there might have been a material called asbestos in the old building, which can be unsafe. The train company, TranzMetro, decided to replace the old station building. They planned to build new glass shelters and add better lighting.

The station partly reopened on August 12, 2008, with a small shelter area. On April 10, 2009, the old wooden part of the station building was taken down. Only the concrete building for the electric equipment and the subway entrances were left. Over that Easter weekend, two small glass shelters were put up at each end of the platform. TranzMetro also said a third, larger shelter would be built where the old station building used to be. The station was closed again from August 15, 2009, until June 2009, for more "development work" on the platform.

In 2019, new automatic gates were planned for the nearby level crossing. These gates would lock shut to help keep people safe. This was because some people walking or cycling were not waiting for the flashing lights to stop before crossing the tracks.

Train Services

Epuni station is served by electric trains on the Hutt Valley Line. These trains connect Epuni to other parts of the Wellington region.

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