Purewa Tunnel facts for kids
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Line | North Island Main Trunk Railway |
| Location | Saint Johns |
| Status | Open |
| System | New Zealand Railways |
| No. of stations | None |
| Operation | |
| Operator | KiwiRail |
| Character | Passenger/freight |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1,954 ft (596 m) |
| No. of tracks | Double |
| Gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Electrified | 2016 |
The Purewa Tunnel is a long railway tunnel in Auckland, New Zealand. It is about 596 meters (1,954 feet) long. You can find it in the suburb of Saint Johns, which is west of Glen Innes. This tunnel is part of the important North Island Main Trunk railway line.
The inside of the tunnel is lined with concrete. Trains that use the Eastern Line travel through it. Also, the long-distance passenger train called the Northern Explorer and many freight trains use this tunnel.
Why Was the Tunnel Needed?
People started suggesting a new train route in the 1870s. This new route would go through Glen Innes. It was called the Westfield Deviation. The original main railway line from central Auckland to Newmarket and Remuera was quite steep. The new route would be much flatter and easier for trains.
By the 1920s, more and more trains were using the old line. This caused delays between Auckland and Newmarket. So, building the new, flatter route became very important.
How the Tunnel Was Built
Work on the Purewa Tunnel began in March 1925. The workers were very experienced. Many had worked on other tough railway tunnels in North Auckland. They used horse-driven carts to help move materials.
Most of the miners were from Britain. Some Italian and Dalmatian workers helped prepare the ground. They made good progress by working in three shifts, day and night. To break through the rock, they drilled holes and used a special explosive called gelignite.
Even though electric lights lit the tunnel during digging, it was home to many glowworms. Miners said the tunnel looked "weird and fantastical" because of them. The glowworms likely came from the nearby bushy areas. Miners had never seen anything like them in a working tunnel before!
Strangely, many sparrows also found their way into the tunnel. They lived there, eating horse feed that was left behind. They even got used to the loud explosions from the digging!
The two ends of the tunnel met in April 1926. The whole tunnel was finished in March 1928. The new Westfield Deviation, including the Purewa Tunnel, opened for goods trains on September 1, 1929. Passenger trains started using it later, on May 11, 1930.
What Happened Later?
Over the years, the tunnel has had some issues with water drainage. This meant that repairs were needed. Sometimes, trains had to slow down when going through the tunnel.
In 2010 and 2011, the train tracks inside the tunnel were lowered. This was done to make space for the Auckland railway electrification project. This project added electric power lines above the tracks for new electric trains.
