Tuakau railway station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tuakau railway station
Railway yard at Tuakau about 1920
Location	New Zealand
Coordinates	37°15′30″S 174°57′01″E / 37.258411°S 174.950409°E / -37.258411; 174.950409
Elevation	37 m (121 ft)
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Distance	Wellington 621.31 km (386.06 mi)
Platforms	2
Tracks	double to Mercer 11 November 1951 and to Paerata from 21 Nov 1954
History
Opened	20 May 1875
Closed	2 March 1986
Rebuilt	1910
Previous names	Tuakau Road
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station Buckland Line open, station closed 4.39 km (2.73 mi)   North Island Main Trunk KiwiRail   Whangarata Line open, station closed 3.17 km (1.97 mi)

The Tuakau railway station was a train station in the town of Tuakau, Waikato District, New Zealand. It is not open anymore.

This station was an important stop on the North Island Main Trunk line, which is a major railway line in New Zealand. It first opened on May 20, 1875. When it first started, it was called Tuakau Road.

Tuakau station was about 55 kilometers (34 miles) south of Auckland. The station building was rebuilt in 1910 and officially reopened on September 10, 1911. It stopped serving passengers on March 14, 1983, and then closed completely on March 2, 1986.

Even though it's closed, the main railway line still runs through Tuakau. There have been talks about reopening the station. In 2018, the local council set aside money to help reopen it. In 2020, reopening the platform was suggested as a project to help the economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This project was estimated to cost around $15 million.

The Station's Early Days

Auckland & Mercer Railway timetable from 1876

The railway line, which was about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) north of the original Tuakau village, opened on May 20, 1875. It was part of the Auckland and Mercer Railway. The railway was built by a company called Brogden & Co. Trains were able to reach Tuakau by February 1875.

Even though trains were running, Tuakau station wasn't listed in the 1875 train schedule. However, it did appear in the 1876 timetable. By June 1876, the station had a stationmaster, who was in charge of the station.

How the Station Grew

By 1884, Tuakau station had several important buildings and features:

• A "4th class station" building.
• A platform for passengers to get on and off trains.
• A way for carts to approach the station.
• A goods shed, which was a building to store items being shipped by train. It was 18 meters (60 feet) long and 9 meters (30 feet) wide. This shed was made bigger in 1905 and later sold in 1985.
• A loading bank, which helped load and unload goods from trains.
• Yards for cattle, used for transporting farm animals.
• A house for the stationmaster.
• Toilets.
• A "passing loop" where trains could wait for other trains to pass. This loop was long enough for 15 wagons.

From 1887 to 1911, the railway staff at Tuakau also ran a Post Office. The station building was rebuilt in 1910 and opened again on September 10, 1911. A new house for railway staff was added in 1956.

Station Closure and Passenger Numbers

The stockyards at the station were sold in 1974. Tuakau station stopped handling passengers and most goods traffic on March 14, 1983. By this time, the station had an island platform (a platform with tracks on both sides), the station building, a footbridge, and a low-level loading bank. There was also a special siding (a short track) for the New Zealand Co-op Dairy Company. The station officially closed for good on March 2, 1986.

The number of passengers using Tuakau station was highest during World War 2. You can see this trend in the chart below.

This chart shows how many tickets were sold at Tuakau railway station between 1881 and 1950.