Whakarongo Railway Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whakarongo railway station
Whakarongo in 1950
Location	New Zealand
Coordinates	40°19′27″S 175°40′25″E / 40.324172°S 175.673731°E / -40.324172; 175.673731
Elevation	56 m (184 ft)
Line(s)	Palmerston North–Gisborne Line
Platforms	1
Tracks	1
Construction
Platform levels	1
Parking	No
Bicycle facilities	No
History
Opened	1891
Closed	1967

The Whakarongo Railway Station was a train stop on the Palmerston North to Gisborne railway line. It was located in the Whakarongo area, just north of Palmerston North. This station was positioned between the Terrace End Station and Ashhurst Station.

The station first opened its doors on March 9, 1891. It stopped serving passengers in the 1960s. The building was taken down in 1967. This likely happened because a new, bigger Palmerston North Railway Station opened. A nearby area for goods, called a goods-yard, was removed in the 1980s. It fully closed to all train traffic on October 30, 1983. Today, only a single train track remains where the station used to be.

The Story of Whakarongo Station

The station was first called Stoney Creek. To avoid confusion with other places, its name was changed on July 11, 1890. There were a few different spellings for the new name, like Whakaronga or Wahakaronga.

The station had a small shelter shed for passengers. It also had a platform where people could get on and off trains. There was a special track called a "passing loop." This loop allowed trains to wait while another train passed by. It was big enough for 16 train wagons. In 1899, the station added portable fences and a ramp. These were used to help load farm animals onto trains.

Whakarongo Station was about 173 kilometers (107 miles) from Napier. It was also about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from Palmerston North. This changed when the Milson deviation opened on October 21, 1963. Now, the old station site is about 6.07 kilometers from Milson Junction. Milson Junction is 2.48 kilometers from the new Palmerston North station. Whakarongo was also about 7.31 kilometers west of Ashhurst.

Plans for a New Track

In the 1920s, there were plans for a new railway path. This path was called the Whakarongo Deviation. It would have connected Milson to the station. Work on this new track began, but it stopped because of World War Two. The tracks that had been laid were then removed. This planned path followed along McLeavey Drive. It now runs next to the Kelvin Grove Cemetery and Linklater reserve. If built, this new path would have made the journey about 3.4 kilometers (2 miles) shorter. The project was expected to cost around £50,000.

The Railways Department built homes for its workers nearby. These homes were for people who worked at the station and in the goods-yard.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Terrace End Line and station closed		Palmerston North to Gisborne line New Zealand Railways Department		Ashhurst Line open, station closed