Pukerua Bay Railway Station
Encyclopedia
Pukerua Bay 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 an island platform
layout, and is 30.4 km from Wellington Railway Station
, the southern terminus of the NIMT. It is one of two railway stations in Pukerua Bay, the other one at Muri
being disused.
under the Metlink brand. Trains run every thirty minutes off-peak, and more frequently during peak periods. All services running between Waikanae
and Wellington
stop in Pukerua Bay.
The commuter trains are operated by electric multiple unit
s. These were formerly DM/D class units but are now almost always units of the EM/ET class. Two diesel-hauled
carriage trains, the Capital Connection and the Overlander, pass through the station but do not stop.
. Built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR), the full line to Longburn
was completed in 1886.
Following the completion of the railway line between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki, the train station was called Pukerua. For a short time between 1919 and 1921, the train station was called Waimapihi, named after the Waimapihi block of land most of Pukerua Bay was situated in. In 1923, the station was renamed to Pukerua Bay to distinguish it from the South Island station Pukerau.
From the 1920s onwards, Pukerua Bay station was a popular destination for weekend visitors from Wellington
, with a road from the train station to the beach opened in 1926, well before a road into Pukerua Bay from Plimmerton
.
Pukerua Bay Station at the time had one siding, a station building with a long drop
and three other buildings next to the siding. Sheep were driven along the now restored path through the bush at the bottom of Seavista Drive, to be loaded onto carriages at Pukerua Bay Station.
Once double-tracking of the railway line from Wellington was completed, the original station building was replaced in 1940 with the current island platform. The station's platform upgrade in 2010 raised platform height, bringing it into line with other stations on the network and added safety features such as yellow tactile strips and put electrical ducting in place to support a real time passenger information system to be introduced in future by Greater Wellington Regional Council.
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 an island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
layout, and is 30.4 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. It is one of two railway stations in Pukerua Bay, the other one at Muri
Muri Railway Station
The now disused Muri 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 a side platform layout on a straight section between two curves, and is 31.2 km from Wellington...
being disused.
Services
Pukerua Bay is 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. Trains run every thirty minutes off-peak, and more frequently during peak periods. All services running between Waikanae
Waikanae Railway Station
Waikanae Railway Station in Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand is the terminal station on the Kapiti Line for Tranz Metro's electric multiple unit commuter trains from Wellington...
and Wellington
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:...
stop in Pukerua Bay.
The commuter trains are 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 are now almost always 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 do not stop.
History
The line through Pukerua Bay 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.
Following the completion of the railway line between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki, the train station was called Pukerua. For a short time between 1919 and 1921, the train station was called Waimapihi, named after the Waimapihi block of land most of Pukerua Bay was situated in. In 1923, the station was renamed to Pukerua Bay to distinguish it from the South Island station Pukerau.
From the 1920s onwards, Pukerua Bay station was a popular destination for weekend visitors from 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...
, with a road from the train station to the beach opened in 1926, well before a road into Pukerua Bay from Plimmerton
Plimmerton
The township of Plimmerton is adjacent to one of the more congenial beaches in the northwest part of the Wellington urban area of Porirua in New Zealand...
.
Pukerua Bay Station at the time had one siding, a station building with a long drop
Pit toilet
A pit toilet is a dry toilet system which collects human excrement in a large container and range from a simple slit trench to more elaborate systems with ventilation. They are more often used in rural and wilderness areas as well as in much of the developing world...
and three other buildings next to the siding. Sheep were driven along the now restored path through the bush at the bottom of Seavista Drive, to be loaded onto carriages at Pukerua Bay Station.
Once double-tracking of the railway line from Wellington was completed, the original station building was replaced in 1940 with the current island platform. The station's platform upgrade in 2010 raised platform height, bringing it into line with other stations on the network and added safety features such as yellow tactile strips and put electrical ducting in place to support a real time passenger information system to be introduced in future by Greater Wellington Regional Council.