Okahukura railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Okahukura railway station
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Okahukura station site in 2019
Double deck bridge on Stratford branch in background |
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| Location | New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°48′06″S 175°13′26″E / 38.801591°S 175.22378°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 178 m (584 ft) | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk | ||||||||||
| Distance | Wellington 408.54 km (253.85 mi) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1912 | ||||||||||
| Closed | Before Dec 1975 passenger 27 August 1978 goods |
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| Electrified | June 1988 | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Okahukora to 7 Aug 1913 | ||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||
| Passengers (1934) | 11,940 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Okahukura railway station was an important stop on the North Island Main Trunk railway line in New Zealand. It opened in 1912 and played a key role in connecting different parts of the country by rail.
The station became active when construction began on the eastern side of the Stratford–Okahukura Line. This line connected Okahukura to Stratford. Trains started running through the station on this line from September 3, 1933, until 2009.
Before the Okahukura route was chosen in 1911, other paths for the railway were considered. These included routes through Ongarue and even further north. Once the Okahukura route was decided, work began quickly.
Sir Joseph Ward, a famous New Zealand politician, helped start the project. Workshops and four railway houses were built at Okahukura. When the station first opened, passengers likely rode in coaches attached to goods trains.
In 1915, more facilities were added to the station. These included a yard for cattle and a shed for storing goods.
How Many People Used the Station?
The number of passengers using Okahukura station changed over the years. The busiest year for passengers was 1934. In that year, 11,940 tickets were sold. You can see how the number of passengers changed over time in the graph above.
The Okahukura Road-Rail Bridge
A special bridge called a road-rail bridge was built near Okahukura. This bridge allowed both cars and trains to cross the Ongarue River. Its concrete foundations were ready by 1918.
However, there was a shortage of steel during World War I, which slowed down the building process. The first support poles for the bridge were put in place in 1916. The entire bridge was finally finished by January 1922.
In 2019, there was talk about possibly reopening the railway line that uses this bridge.
The Okahukura Tunnel
About 2 miles (3.2 km) from Okahukura, along the Stratford line, is the Okahukura tunnel. This tunnel is about 76 chains (1,529 meters) long. It also has a slope of 1 in 50, meaning it goes uphill or downhill quite steeply.
Work on the tunnel started in February 1914. It was a big job, as workers had to dig out 58,000 cubic yards (44,340 cubic meters) of mudstone. The tunnel was completed in December 1920.
