Rotokauri railway station explained

Rotokauri Transport Hub
Type:Regional Rail, Bus
Country:New Zealand
Coordinates:-37.746°N 175.2265°W
Elevation:33m (108feet)
Line:North Island Main Trunk
Distance:Wellington 547.83km (340.41miles)
Tracks:2 (doubled from 30 June 1929)
Parking:yes
Status:Currently open
Website:Te Huia - Rotokauri
Opened:19 December 1877
2021
Closed:10 January 1971[1]
Rebuilt:2018–2021
Former:Te Rapa Railway Station

Rotokauri railway station (formerly Te Rapa railway station), also known as The Hub, is a railway station, park and ride, and bus station in north Hamilton, New Zealand serving Rotokauri and Te Rapa.[2] Located on the North Island Main Trunk, it was previously a flag station, and was closed in January 1971.[3] It reopened as an integrated transport hub in 2021 as part of Te Huia services between Hamilton and Papakura[4] (extended to The Strand in 2022).[5] Services started on 6 April 2021.[6] [7]

History

Te Rapa Railway Station

Opening with the Newcastle to Hamilton extension of the railway from Auckland on Wednesday 19 December 1877,[8] Te Rapa railway station was originally 3miles south of Horotiu (then named Pukete) and 3miles north of Hamilton[9] on the NIMT. A through siding was added in 1878, it appeared in the April 1879 timetable[10] and, by 1884, it had a passing loop for 21 wagons, a shelter shed, platform and loading bank.[11]

In 1916, it was equipped with distant signals[12] and was part of the extension of automatic signalling from Ngāruawahiā to Frankton from Sunday 30 June 1929,[13] when the sidings were switch-locked and automatically controlled[14] and the former single track doubled.[15] The sidings were extended into the RNZAF stores depot, to the south east, when it was built during the war[16] There were also bulk cement and Apple & Pear Board sidings.

In July 1965 it was noted that, for the past nine months, passenger bookings had been nil and, in September, approval was given to remove the station building and low-level platform. Construction of a new marshalling yard near the Racecourse began in December 1967.

Rotokauri Transport Hub

Modern plans for a transport hub in north Hamilton started around 2007 in the Rotokauri Structure Plan and District Plan. Eventually, land was bought in 2017, and funding for the transport hub was announced in the 2018-2028 10 Year Plan.[17]

At a meeting of the Hamilton Public Transport Joint Committee on November 28 2018, the Council estimated the cost of a new station, park and ride and transport hub at Rotokauri to be $21m, with $6.4m allowed to land purchasing.[18] The plan was for an integrated transit hub in north Hamilton to connect with a proposed Hamilton to Auckland passenger train. These plans were dependent on NZTA funding for both the train and the hub itself. At the time of the Joint Committee meeting in November 2018, the opening was scheduled for March 2020.

In 2019 the Sixth Labour Government announced funding for a passenger rail link between Auckland and Hamilton, at the time called Tron Express[19] but later called Te Huia. This funding included the construction of a transport hub in Rotokauri, alongside maintenance facilities.[20] In March 2020, the original planned opening date, Hamilton City Council announced new opening date of the park and ride scheme on August 3 2020, and an increased cost estimate of $29m,[21] this was planned to coincide with the commencement of Te Huia services. The new station was built just south of the site of the original station.[22] The March 2020 announcement also stated that the transit hub would have a rail platform, park and ride carpark, bus interchange, roading upgrades, passenger bridge and stairs. The council also highlighted a delay in lift installation was "due to international supply chain issues".

On January 29 2020, a blessing ceremony was held at the transit hub ahead of its opening week.[23] The signs around the hub include both English Language and Reo Māori names. The station has two through-platforms, three lifts, and three sets of stairs. The over-bridge links the bus terminal, the platforms, and The Base shopping mall. The Hamilton City Council has purchased land next to the carpark in order to allow for a potential carpark expansion, or another development.[24] There have also been changes in the road layout around the hub, including the construction of a new road called Kiriwai Drive, named after a local .

Services

Currently the only train is Te Huia linking Hamilton to Auckland (stopping at Papakura, Puhinui, The Strand), four times daily on weekdays (two in each direction), and once each way on some Saturdays. These services started on 6 April 2021.[25] These were the first passenger services since the original station closed. Even though the Northern Explorer passes through on the NIMT, it does not stop at this station.

Te Huia timetable[26] !Service!!Time!!Destination
Weekday6:23a.m.The Strand
11:36a.m.Hamilton (Frankton)
data-sort-value="14:15"2:15p.m.The Strand
data-sort-value="19:38"7:38p.m.Hamilton (Frankton)
Saturday7:49a.m.The Strand
data-sort-value="20:05"8:05p.m.Hamilton (Frankton)

Rotokauri Transport Hub is also a major point along several of Hamilton and Waikato's bus routes. It was planned that the hub would have 180 daily bus movements at the start, but this will increase to 400.[27]

Accidents

In a fog in 1934, a southbound train from Auckland collided with a goods train. The only casualty was a pig,[28] but the AB locomotive was thrown on its side.[29]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Juliet Scoble: Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand . 20 January 2019 . 24 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200724032358/http://www.railheritage.org.nz/assets/dates_and_names.pdf . dead .
  2. Book: New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas. Quail Map Co.. 1993. 0-900609-92-3. Fourth.
  3. Web site: Juliet Scoble: Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand . 20 January 2019 . 24 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200724032358/http://www.railheritage.org.nz/assets/dates_and_names.pdf . dead .
  4. Web site: Celebration as Hamilton's new transport hub opens. 29 January 2021. 29 January 2021. 30 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210130124756/http://business.scoop.co.nz/2021/01/29/celebration-as-hamiltons-new-transport-hub-opens/. live.
  5. Web site: Walker . Richard . 2021-11-26 . All change: Te Huia makes a step shift . 2023-05-28 . Stuff . en . 28 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230528210251/https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/business/127100398/all-change-te-huia-makes-a-step-shift . live .
  6. Web site: Mather . Mike . New launch date for Hamilton-Auckland commuter rail service announced . Stuff.co.nz . 17 February 2021 . 10 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210210005347/https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/experiences/train-journeys/124198123/new-launch-date-for-hamiltonauckland-commuter-rail-service-announced . live .
  7. Web site: 2021-04-06. Long-awaited train service between Waikato and Auckland begins. 2021-04-06. RNZ. en-nz. 5 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210405185138/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/439867/long-awaited-train-service-between-waikato-and-auckland-begins. live.
  8. Web site: 21 Dec 1877. EXTENSION OF THE RAILWAY TO HAMILTON. NEW ZEALAND HERALD. 2021-04-06. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  9. Web site: Page 3 Advertisements Column 4 (New Zealand Herald, 1879-04-03). paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20170826115830/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18790403.2.6.4. 26 August 2017. 18 June 2017. live.
  10. Web site: 9 Jun 1879. Railways. NEW ZEALAND HERALD. 2021-04-06. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  11. Web site: Stations. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130208074304/http://railheritage.org.nz/assets/Heritage_listings.pdf. 8 February 2013. 2020-08-10. NZR Rolling Stock Lists. en.
  12. Web site: 1916 New Zealand Railways Statement by the Minister of Railways, The Hon. W. H. Herries. atojs.natlib.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20190121064140/https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1916-I.1.1024. 21 January 2019. 20 January 2019. live.
  13. Web site: 25 Jun 1929. LOCAL AND GENERAL. WAIKATO TIMES. 2021-04-06. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  14. Web site: 1930 New Zealand Railways Statement by the Minister of Railways, The Hon. W. A. Veitch. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20190121064140/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1930/I/2182. 21 January 2019. 20 January 2019. live.
  15. Book: New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas. Quail Map Co.. 1993. Fourth. 4.
  16. Web site: Sheet N56. 1944. www.mapspast.org.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20190121010851/http://www.mapspast.org.nz/?zoom=14&x=1794169&y=5819522&layerid=NZMS1%201959. 21 January 2019. 20 January 2019. live.
  17. Web site: Hamilton to Auckland commuter rail: Partnership key to new service . NZ Herald . 29 January 2021.
  18. Web site: Hamilton Public Transport Joint Committee Agenda - 26 November 2018 . Waikato Regional Council . 29 January 2021 . 30 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210130194743/https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/assets/WRC/Community/Council-Meetings-and-Agendas/Hamilton-public-transport-joint-committee/2018/HPTJC-agenda-pack-26-November-2018.pdf . live .
  19. Web site: Hamilton to Auckland commuter rail: Partnership key to new service . NZ Herald . 29 January 2021.
  20. Web site: Auckland – Hamilton commuter service funding approved. 23 August 2019. International Railway Journal. en-US. 29 January 2020. 23 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190823193932/https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/commuter-rail/auckland-hamilton-commuter-service-funding-approved/. live.
  21. Web site: Rail service opening date proof of partnership. 11 March 2020. Our Hamilton. en-US. 12 March 2020. 20 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201020163953/https://ourhamilton.co.nz/on-the-move/rail-service-opening-date-proof-of-partnership/. live.
  22. Web site: 3.6 Rotokauri – Hamilton City Council. www.hamilton.govt.nz. en-NZ. 20 January 2019. 7 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190207121911/https://www.hamilton.govt.nz/our-council/council-publications/districtplans/ODP/chapter3/Pages/3-6-Rotokauri.aspx. live.
  23. Web site: Leaman . Aaron . Hamilton's new Rotokauri Transport Hub gears up for opening . Stuff.co.nz . 30 January 2021 . 29 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210129221000/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/124096617/hamiltons-new-rotokauri-transport-hub-gears-up-for-opening . live .
  24. Web site: Leaman . Aaron . Hamilton's new Rotokauri Transport Hub gears up for opening . Stuff.co.nz . 30 January 2021 . 29 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210129221000/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/124096617/hamiltons-new-rotokauri-transport-hub-gears-up-for-opening . live .
  25. Web site: Mather . Mike . New launch date for Hamilton-Auckland commuter rail service announced . Stuff.co.nz . 17 February 2021 . 10 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210210005347/https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/experiences/train-journeys/124198123/new-launch-date-for-hamiltonauckland-commuter-rail-service-announced . live .
  26. Web site: Timetable . tehuiatrain.co.nz . 22 April 2022 . 10 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210210025533/https://www.tehuiatrain.co.nz/timetables/ . live .
  27. Web site: Celebration As Hamilton's New Transport Hub Opens (Council Press Release) . Business.Scoop.co.nz . Hamilton City Council . 29 January 2021 . 29 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210129042728/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/124096617/hamiltons-new-rotokauri-transport-hub-gears-up-for-opening . live .
  28. Web site: New Zealand Herald Page 10 TRAINS COLLIDE. 2 November 1934. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20190121064222/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19341102.2.48. 21 January 2019. 20 January 2019. live.
  29. Web site: Auckland Weekly News – photo of collision at Te Rapa station last week: newspaper train crashes into goods train. 7 November 1934. www.aucklandcity.govt.nz. https://web.archive.org/web/20190121010820/http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?BU=http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/HeritageImages/index.htm&AC=QBE_QUERY&TN=heritageimages&QF0=ID&NP=2&MR=5&RF=HIORecordSearch&QI0

    %22AWNS-19341107-54-4%22

    . 21 January 2019. 20 January 2019. live.

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