The Strand Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Strand Station
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The Strand Station and stabling facility
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| Coordinates | 36°50′55″S 174°46′46″E / 36.848648°S 174.779542°E | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 islands (originally 7) | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1930 | ||||||||||
| Closed | July 2003 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | August 2011 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | Yes | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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| Designated: | 29-Nov-1985 | ||||||||||
| Reference #: | 93 | ||||||||||
The Strand Station, also known as Auckland Strand Station, is a train station in Auckland, New Zealand. It sits on the eastern side of the city centre. This station is the starting point for the Northern Explorer train. This train travels a long distance between Auckland and Wellington. The company The Great Journeys of New Zealand runs this service.
Regular local trains do not stop at The Strand Station. However, it can be used as a backup if there are problems at Britomart Transport Centre. Britomart is Auckland's main train station and has been since 2003.
The station building was first opened in 1930. It was called the Auckland Railway Station back then. It replaced an older station that was where Britomart is now. The 1930 station was the third main train station for Auckland. It was the only station serving the city centre until it closed in July 2003. That's when Britomart became the new main station.
The Strand Station uses some of the original platforms from the old Auckland Railway Station. Platform 7 (now called Platform 1) was kept for special train trips. It was named 'The Strand Station' after a nearby street. For a few months after Britomart opened, some local trains still used it. After that, the platforms were left empty. In August 2011, two platforms were fixed up. This was in case they were needed for the Rugby World Cup 2011. They weren't used then, but they have been used for Northern Explorer trains since December 2015.
Contents
History of The Strand Station
Early Train Use
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The Auckland Railway Station was built between 1928 and 1930. The New Zealand Public Works Department constructed it. It was built on land that was once part of the sea, near the docks. This new station replaced a smaller one. The building was very grand and fancy. It was meant to be a special entrance to the city. Building it cost a lot of money, about £320,000. This was the biggest building project in New Zealand at the time. It is important because it shows how important trains were for travel back then.
The Auckland Railway Station building has been a famous landmark since it opened. It is a beautiful example of Beaux-Arts architecture. People have called it one of the most impressive public buildings in New Zealand from the early 1900s. The building was designed by William Henry Gummer. He also designed other famous New Zealand buildings, like the Dilworth Building in Queen Street.
The building has three floors and looks the same on both sides. It was made from reinforced concrete and covered with brick. It also used Coromandel granite. You can reach the building by a long ramp on each side. These ramps go around a garden in front. The design was similar to big train stations in America. Examples include Union Station in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania Station in New York City. These were considered very grand and fancy stations. It has also been compared to Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
The station had many fancy public areas. These included waiting rooms, dining rooms, shops, and a first aid station. The main hall had a stunning metal ceiling. This ceiling was made in Germany. The parts were shipped to New Zealand and put together here. The rest of the hall was decorated with expensive marble and bronze. It also had a beautiful terrazzo floor. Even the bathrooms were fancy, with special wood panels and light fittings.
Underpasses and ramps connected the station building to many train platforms. These platforms had elegant concrete roofs. The building was used as the main place for train passengers in Auckland for most of the 20th century.
The station building was sold in the 1990s. This happened because the new Britomart Transport Centre was going to be built. Britomart would become the new main train station. Even though it was sold, The Strand Station stayed open until July 2003. After Britomart opened, only one platform at The Strand was still used. It served a few local trains for several months. For the next ten years, this platform was sometimes used for special train trips. But mostly, the platforms became old and run-down.
Student Housing Use
In 1999, part of the station building was turned into student housing. It was for students from Auckland University. It was called The Railway Campus. It was the biggest student residence for the university. It had 426 bedrooms in 230 apartments.
In 2007, the building had problems with water leaks. Students had to move out while repairs were done. The university later decided not to use the building for student housing anymore. This was because of the water problems and the cost of fixing them.
Station Upgrades
Between 2003 and 2011, the platforms at The Strand became very old and broken. Parts of the tracks were removed and piled up. Grass and weeds grew all over the place.
In 2011, two platforms were upgraded by Auckland Transport. This was to get them ready to be a backup station for Britomart. It cost $1.7 million. The roofs over two platforms were removed. A small part was left for historical reasons. The roofs on other platforms were also left because they were old and special. The platforms were given new surfaces. New lights and a public announcement system were also added.
The platforms were not used during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. But they continued to be a possible backup station for Britomart.
In 2013, a place to store trains was built. This was in the unused part of the station, north of the fixed-up platforms. This storage area is called the Strand Distributed Stabling Facility. It holds trains when they are not being used. In 2014, the station was set up for electric trains. This was part of Auckland's project to electrify its railways. In December 2015, The Strand Station became the main stop for the Northern Explorer train. This train travels between Auckland and Wellington. Before this, the Northern Explorer used Britomart. But the Northern Explorer uses diesel engines. Britomart is an underground station and needed expensive upgrades for its diesel exhaust fans. The train company, KiwiRail, decided it was cheaper to move the Northern Explorer to The Strand instead.
What The Strand Station is Used For Now
The Strand Station is currently used by the Northern Explorer train. This train runs three times a week to Wellington. Sometimes, special excursion trains also use the station. It can also be a backup station for Britomart if there are problems. Since the station was set up for electric trains, part of it is used to store trains. There is also a restaurant called Platform 8 in the old station building.
The Future of The Strand Station
Some groups think The Strand Station could be used for more long-distance trains in the future. For example, the Te Huia train to Hamilton might use it. This would help avoid problems with not enough space at Britomart.
The Northern Explorer train uses diesel engines. It cannot go into Britomart Station anymore. This is because the system for removing diesel fumes has been taken out.
The Te Huia train might start going to The Strand in 2024. This depends on whether the Third Main Line project is ready. It might also run on Sundays and public holidays after a few years. This will happen once train tracks in Auckland are not needed for big rail projects on Sundays.
