Muri Railway Station
Encyclopedia
The now disused Muri Railway Station is located on the North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) in Pukerua Bay
, New Zealand
and is part of the suburban rail network of Wellington
. It is double track
ed, has a side platform
layout on a straight section between two curves, and is 31.2 km from Wellington Railway Station
, the southern terminus of the NIMT. Another railway station in Pukerua Bay, Pukerua Bay Railway Station
remains operating.
under the Metlink brand until 2011. Trains running every thirty minutes off-peak, and more frequently during peak periods used to stop in Muri until its closure. The platform and buildings remain in their original state.
The commuter trains at the time were operated by electric multiple unit
s. These were formerly DM/D class units but from the '90s only units of the EM/ET class. Two diesel-hauled
carriage trains, the Capital Connection and the Overlander, pass through the station but did not stop even when the station was still open.
Muri and Kenepuru
stations had been considered for closure by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, claiming that both had low usage and would require considerable expenditure to upgrade for the new Matangi units and for safety considerations ($600,000 estimated for Muri).
Following a sub-committee meeting of the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Muri station was closed on 30 April 2011.
. Built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR), the full line to Longburn
was completed in 1886. During the last stage of finishing the tunnels on the coastal escarpment towards Paekakariki
, the last stop coming from Wellington was called Pukerua, near where Muri Station is today. There were no roads into the area yet and passengers had to leave the train, climb down to the beach and continue by rail on temporary tracks to Paekakariki.
Material for the construction of the railway north of Muri was offloaded from ships anchored off Pukerua into small boats and brought to the beach. From there, a tramway took the rails, sleepers and bricks up to the railway track at Muri.
Muri Station was opened on 28 July 1952. Muri was 45 chains (905 m) north of the existing Pukerua Bay Station
, and was closer to the centre of the population of Pukerua Bay at the time.
Pukerua Bay
Pukerua Bay is a small seaside community at the southern end of the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand. In local government terms it is the northernmost suburb of Porirua City...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and is part of the suburban rail network of Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. It is double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
ed, has a side platform
Side platform
A Side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, a tram stop or a transitway. A pair of side platforms are often provided on a dual track line with a single side platform being sufficient for a single track line...
layout on a straight section between two curves, and is 31.2 km from Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. In terms of number of services and in passenger numbers, it is New Zealand's busiest railway station.-Development:...
, the southern terminus of the NIMT. Another railway station in Pukerua Bay, Pukerua Bay Railway Station
Pukerua Bay Railway Station
Pukerua Bay Railway Station is located on the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand and is part of the suburban rail network of Wellington. It is double tracked, has an island platform layout, and is 30.4 km from Wellington Railway Station, the southern terminus of the NIMT...
remains operating.
Services
Muri was served by Kapiti Line commuter trains operated by Tranz MetroTranz Metro
Tranz Metro, part of KiwiRail, is the operator of Metlink suburban trains owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council in the Wellington Region of New Zealand....
under the Metlink brand until 2011. Trains running every thirty minutes off-peak, and more frequently during peak periods used to stop in Muri until its closure. The platform and buildings remain in their original state.
The commuter trains at the time were operated by electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s. These were formerly DM/D class units but from the '90s only units of the EM/ET class. Two diesel-hauled
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
carriage trains, the Capital Connection and the Overlander, pass through the station but did not stop even when the station was still open.
Muri and Kenepuru
Kenepuru Railway Station
Kenepuru Railway Station is on the North Island Main Trunk Railway in New Zealand, on Wellington's suburban rail network. It is double tracked, has a side platform layout on a curved section of the line, and is 16.16 km from Wellington Railway Station, the southern terminus of the NIMT...
stations had been considered for closure by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, claiming that both had low usage and would require considerable expenditure to upgrade for the new Matangi units and for safety considerations ($600,000 estimated for Muri).
Following a sub-committee meeting of the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Muri station was closed on 30 April 2011.
History
The line through Muri was originally part of the Wellington - Manawatu LineWellington - Manawatu Line
The Wellington and Manawatu Line is an unofficial name for the section of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk Railway between Wellington and Palmerston North...
. Built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR), the full line to Longburn
Longburn
Longburn is a rural settlement just outside of Palmerston North in the Manawatu-Wanganui area of New Zealand. Made up of large dairy processing plants Longburn is often mistaken to be a small township and not seen as a large satellite town of Palmerston North...
was completed in 1886. During the last stage of finishing the tunnels on the coastal escarpment towards Paekakariki
Paekakariki
Paekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It is 22 km north of Porirua and 45 km north-east of Wellington, the nation's capital city....
, the last stop coming from Wellington was called Pukerua, near where Muri Station is today. There were no roads into the area yet and passengers had to leave the train, climb down to the beach and continue by rail on temporary tracks to Paekakariki.
Material for the construction of the railway north of Muri was offloaded from ships anchored off Pukerua into small boats and brought to the beach. From there, a tramway took the rails, sleepers and bricks up to the railway track at Muri.
Muri Station was opened on 28 July 1952. Muri was 45 chains (905 m) north of the existing Pukerua Bay Station
Pukerua Bay Railway Station
Pukerua Bay Railway Station is located on the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand and is part of the suburban rail network of Wellington. It is double tracked, has an island platform layout, and is 30.4 km from Wellington Railway Station, the southern terminus of the NIMT...
, and was closer to the centre of the population of Pukerua Bay at the time.