Raroa railway station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raroa
Metlink commuter rail
Location	Fraser Avenue, Johnsonville, Wellington, New Zealand
Coordinates	41°13′56.34″S 174°48′6.27″E / 41.2323167°S 174.8017417°E / -41.2323167; 174.8017417
Owned by	Greater Wellington Regional Council
Line(s)	Johnsonville Branch
Platforms	Single side
Tracks	Main line (1)
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
Other information
Fare zone	3
History
Opened	17 June 1940
Services
Preceding station   Transdev Wellington   Following station Johnsonville Terminus Johnsonville Line Khandallah toward Wellington

From the station platform, looking south.

Raroa railway station is a train stop in Wellington, New Zealand. It is one of eight stations on the Johnsonville Branch, a train line that helps people travel north of Wellington. The station serves the areas of Raroa and Broadmeadows. It is also one of four stations on this line that is built on a curve.

Electric trains, called EMUs, run through this station. They are part of the Metlink network. These trains travel north to Johnsonville and south to Wellington.

History of Raroa Station

Looking south from Raroa station. This area used to have stockyards and extra tracks.

The station car park off Fraser Avenue.

Raroa station opened on 17 June 1940. It was built after the train line became electric. This helped serve the growing number of people living north of Wellington. When the station first opened, there were not many houses nearby. A train guard used to joke about it, calling out "Snake Gully!"

Raroa Station is also known for being the last stop for freight trains on the Johnsonville Line. For many years, rules meant that goods had to be moved by train if possible. This included livestock (farm animals). These animals were brought to Raroa station. From there, trucks took them to the meat processing plants in the Ngauranga Gorge.

The stockyards for these animals were first at Johnsonville station. But in the 1950s, they were moved to Raroa. This change happened on 2 February 1958. Even though the rules about moving livestock by train changed in 1962, these trains kept running until about 1973. The extra track for the stockyards was officially closed on 4 October 1976. The tracks were removed around 1982.

Train Services

Trains run through Raroa station in both directions. During most of the day, trains leave every half hour. At busy times on weekdays, trains run more often.

There are no bus connections directly at this station.

Raroa station is very close to two schools: Raroa Intermediate and Onslow College. This makes it easy for students to use the train.

Station Facilities

Raroa station has one side platform and a shelter for passengers. You can get to the station from Fraser Avenue. There is also a walking path from Haumia Street. A footbridge connects the station to Burma Road, where Onslow College and Raroa Intermediate School are located. It also connects to Raroa Park and Tuapapa Street.

The station has ten "park and ride" car parks on Fraser Avenue. This means people can park their cars and then take the train. In 2014-2015, 35 more car parks were added across Fraser Avenue. This happened when car parks were lost at Johnsonville railway station during a bridge replacement project.