Taumarunui railway station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taumarunui railway station
1916 view of station and yards
Location	New Zealand
Coordinates	38°52′58″S 175°15′53″E / 38.8828°S 175.2648°E / -38.8828; 175.2648
Elevation	171 m (561 ft)
Owned by	KiwiRail
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Distance	Wellington 397.75 km (247.15 mi)
Platforms	1
History
Opened	1 December 1903 (1903-12-01)
Closed	25 June 2012 (2012-06-25)
Rebuilt	10 July 1977
Electrified	25 kV 50 Hz AC June 1988
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station Taringamotu Line open, station closed 4.74 km (2.95 mi)   North Island Main Trunk KiwiRail   Matapuna Line open, station closed 2.95 km (1.83 mi)

The Taumarunui railway station was once a very important train station in Taumarunui, New Zealand. It was a key stop on the North Island Main Trunk line, which connects major cities. The station even had a special room where passengers could buy food and drinks. A famous song by Peter Cape was written about this station!

A Look Back: Station History

The Taumarunui station was a big part of the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) railway line. This main line opened for trains traveling all the way from Auckland to Wellington on November 9, 1908. Fast express trains started running on this line from February 14, 1909. Later, from 1933, trains also began running to Stratford.

Building the Station

The station building itself officially opened on December 1, 1903. When it first opened, it wasn't just a station. It also had a place for cattle, a shed for train engines, and homes for the railway workers.

Before the station fully opened, some parts of the railway were already in use. A telephone line reached Taumarunui in December 1900. Goods trains started running between Ongarue and Taumarunui from February 2, 1903. The railway line officially opened on May 29, 1903. Then, on December 1, 1903, the section of track between Poro-O-Tarao and Taumarunui was handed over to New Zealand Railways.

Growing the Railway South

The railway line continued to grow south from Taumarunui. Goods trains started going to Matapuna from June 22, 1903. A big moment happened on August 8, 1908, when the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, spoke to a large crowd at Taumarunui. This was when the very first train from Wellington to Auckland stopped at the station.

When regular trains started running on November 9, 1908, passengers traveling south had to stay overnight in Taumarunui. But there weren't enough places for everyone to sleep! So, by January 11, 1909, passengers were allowed to sleep on the trains instead. Even with some complaints, many people praised the hotels and boarding houses in Taumarunui. From February 14, 1909, the fast express trains only stopped for about 5 minutes at the station during the night.

Refreshment Rooms and Station Upgrades

The station's special refreshment rooms opened on November 1, 1909. These rooms were a popular spot for travelers to grab a bite. They stayed open for many years, finally closing on February 21, 1975. Over time, homes were built for the refreshment staff, and a hostel for female staff was added in 1940.

The station platform was made longer in 1905, and the stationmaster's house was changed in 1908. By 1909, the station had a large goods shed, a loading area, sheep yards, a crane, and places to get water and coal. It also had signals and a passing loop for trains. Within just two years, the goods shed was made twice as long!

In 1902, a large turntable (a spinning platform for turning engines around) was brought from Auckland. It was replaced by an even bigger one in 1907, and then by a 21.3 meter one in 1929. An engine shed was also moved to Taumarunui in 1903.

Many old train carriages were stored in the sidings near the station in 2019.

A new goods shed was built in 1966. The original station building was replaced by a new two-story building, which was officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Muldoon on July 10, 1977. In 2016, the tracks next to the station were used to store many old trains from Auckland. These trains were no longer needed because Auckland's railway system was being updated to use electricity.

Trains That Stopped Here

Many famous passenger trains used to stop at Taumarunui station. These included the Night Limited, Scenic Daylight, Silver Star, Silver Fern, Blue Streak, Northerner, and Overlander.

The last passenger train running between New Plymouth and Taumarunui left on January 21, 1983. The station officially closed on June 25, 2012. After this date, the Northern Explorer train no longer stopped there, unless it was for a large group of 10 or more people who had booked in advance.

This chart shows how many tickets were sold at Taumarunui station between 1904 and 1950. You can see that passenger numbers grew quickly and were highest around 1923.

As the chart shows, the number of passengers buying tickets at Taumarunui station grew very fast. It reached its highest point in 1923. After that, the number of passengers slowly started to go down.

Today, buses stop outside the old Taumarunui station building.