Pukerua Bay railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pukerua Bay
|
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metlink suburban rail | |||||||||||
Pukerua Bay railway station prior to its upgrade in 2010.
|
|||||||||||
| Location | Takutai Road, Pukerua Bay, New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°2′16.6″S 174°53′12.2″E / 41.037944°S 174.886722°E | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Greater Wellington Regional Council | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk | ||||||||||
| Platforms | Island | ||||||||||
| Tracks | Mainline (2) | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 25 December 1885 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1940, 2010 | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Pukerua (to 1923), Waimapihi (1920) | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
The Pukerua Bay railway station is a train station in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand. It is part of Wellington's local train network. This station is on the North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT).
The station has two tracks and an island platform. It is about 30.4 kilometers from Wellington railway station. Wellington is the very last stop on the NIMT line. Pukerua Bay once had another station called Muri, but it is now closed.
Contents
Train Services at Pukerua Bay
Pukerua Bay is an important stop on the Kapiti Line. This line carries commuter trains. These trains are run by Transdev Wellington under the Metlink name. The Greater Wellington Regional Council manages this service.
The trains travel between Wellington and Waikanae. They are modern electric trains called Matangi. Some larger diesel trains, like the Capital Connection, pass through. However, they do not stop at Pukerua Bay.
How Often Do Trains Run?
All local trains between Wellington and Waikanae stop at Pukerua Bay. During quieter times, trains stop at every station. In busy peak hours, some trains might skip stops. These trains go non-stop between Wellington and Porirua. After Porirua, they stop at all stations to Waikanae.
A train ride to Waikanae takes about 24 minutes. It takes 15 minutes to get to Porirua. A trip to Wellington is about 36 minutes if the train stops everywhere. Express trains to Wellington take around 32 minutes.
Trains run often during the day. They come every 20 minutes during off-peak hours. During busy times, they run even more often. At night, trains run less frequently. Since July 2018, off-peak trains run more often than before.
A Look Back: Pukerua Bay Station's History
The railway line through Pukerua Bay was built a long time ago. It was part of the Wellington - Manawatu Line. A private company, the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (W&MR), built this line. They wanted to offer a different route than the government's Wairarapa Line.
The section of railway from Plimmerton to Pukerua Bay was built in 1885. Pukerua Bay railway station first opened on Christmas Day in 1885. The entire line to Longburn was finished in November 1886.
How the Station Got Its Name
After the railway line was finished, the station was first called Pukerua. For a short time, between 1919 and 1921, it had a different name. It was called Waimapihi. This name came from the Waimapihi block of land in Pukerua Bay. In 1923, the station became Pukerua Bay. This helped people tell it apart from a station called Pukerau in the South Island.
Fun Facts from the Past
In the 1920s, Pukerua Bay station was a popular spot. Many people from Wellington visited on weekends. A road from the station to the beach opened in 1926. This was before the main road into Pukerua Bay from Plimmerton.
In the past, the station had a simple outdoor toilet. There were also three other buildings nearby. Farmers used to bring sheep along a path through the bush. They would load the sheep onto train wagons at the station.
Modern Upgrades
The railway line from Wellington was eventually made into two tracks. Because of this, the original station building was replaced in 1940. That's when the current island platform was built.
In 2010, the station's platform was upgraded again. It was made taller to match other stations. New safety features were added, like yellow strips on the platform edge. Electrical wiring was also put in place. This wiring helps power the real-time passenger information screens you see today.
