Featherston railway station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Featherston
Metlink regional rail
Location	Harrison Street West, Featherston, New Zealand
Coordinates	41°6′47.74″S 175°19′48.85″E / 41.1132611°S 175.3302361°E / -41.1132611; 175.3302361
Elevation	49 metres (161 ft)
Owned by	Greater Wellington Regional Council
Line(s)	Wairarapa Line
Distance	57.15 kilometres (35.51 mi) from Wellington
Platforms	Single side
Tracks	1 mainline 1 loop(s) 1 Road Siding
Train operators	Transdev Wellington
Bus routes	2
Bus operators	Tranzit Coachlines Wairarapa Coachlines
Connections	[[|200]]  Featherston - Masterton  [[|205]]  Featherston - Martinborough
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
Other information
Station code	FEAT
Fare zone	11
History
Opened	16 October 1878
Closed	13 October 1986 (freight)
Rebuilt	1982
Traffic
Passengers (2011)	>462 passengers/day
Services
Preceding station   Transdev Wellington   Following station Woodside toward Masterton Wairarapa Connection Maymorn toward Wellington

Featherston railway station is a train station in the town of Featherston, located in the Wairarapa area of New Zealand. It has a single platform and is part of the Wairarapa Line. You can find it between Harrison Street West and Harrison Street East.

From Featherston, a train trip to Masterton takes about 35 minutes. A journey to Wellington takes around 55 minutes. This station is also important for people living in nearby areas like Martinborough. It is the closest train station for several communities outside of Featherston.

The station building has a ticket office. Here, you can buy tickets for the Wairarapa Connection train service. The station used to handle goods, but this stopped in 1986.

Station History

The railway line reached Featherston on 17 August 1878. The tracks were finished the next month, in September. The first train arrived in Featherston in late September. However, the station officially opened for public use on 16 October 1878.

Featherston was an important station at first. For two years, it was the end of the railway line until the tracks reached Masterton. When it opened, the station had a seven-room building. It also had a goods shed, a place for locomotives, and water for the trains. Coal was not available until 1888.

The station also had refreshment rooms where people could eat. These, along with the locomotive depot, were removed in 1891. After the engine shed closed, most locomotives in the southern Wairarapa area were based at Cross Creek. The original wooden station building was replaced with the current one in 1982.

The old goods shed was taken down. However, the loading bank and two loops (extra tracks) are still there. A company that supplies building materials now uses the area where the goods shed used to be. By 2008, most of the remaining extra tracks were removed.

What's Next for the Station?

The Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) plans to "renew" the Featherston railway station in 2019/20. This means they will update and improve it.

Also, as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme, a government plan announced in January 2020, a second platform will be added at Featherston. This will help the station handle more trains and passengers.

Train and Bus Services

The only trains that stop at Featherston station are the Wairarapa Connection passenger services. From Monday to Thursday, there are five trains each way. On Fridays, there are six services, and on Saturdays and Sundays, there are two services each way.

A shuttle bus service, run by Wairarapa Coachlines, connects Martinborough to Featherston railway station. These buses are timed to meet the daily commuter trains. However, as of August 2013, there was no bus service on Sundays.

Images for kids

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  The Featherston railway station building.

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  The southern entrance to the station yard and Bell Street level crossing.

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  An aggregate supplies company now uses the area where the goods shed used to be.

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  The platform and car park area at the station.

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  The northern entrance to the station yard and signals.

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  A view of Featherston Railway Station in 2008.