Solway railway station explained

Solway
Address:	Ngaumutawa Road, Solway, Masterton, New Zealand
Coordinates:	-40.9533°N 175.6252°W
Distance:	from
Structure:	At-grade
Tracks:	1 main line
Parking:	Yes
Bicycle:	No
Architectural Style:	Vogel class 6
Opened:	1 November 1880
Closed:	13 October 1986 (freight)
Rebuilt:	2007
Code:	SOLW
Zone:	14^[1]
Former:	Kurupuni, Purakau
Footnotes:	Previous Station: Waingawa Station Next Station: Renall Street Station

Solway railway station is a suburban railway station serving Solway and the southern end of Masterton, New Zealand. The station is located on the Wairarapa Line, 88.1km (54.7miles) north of and 2.9km (01.8miles) south of . The Wairarapa Connection serves the station several times daily with services to Wellington and Masterton. The station has a single track served by a four-car platform on the Ngaumutawa Road side.

As part of the Wairarapa station upgrade programme to prepare stations for the SW-class passenger carriages, this station was upgraded between 14 May 2007 and late August 2007.^{[2] [3]}

History

When the station was opened along with the line to Masterton on 1 November 1880 it had only a shelter and platform. It was originally named Kurupuni and was located south of Masterton. Later, the station was briefly known as Purakau between 1908 and 1912 when it was renamed Solway.^[4] The station was never regarded as being of any great importance but did also handle freight until 1986 with customers including the Wairarapa Electric Power Board and a fertiliser company.

A new car park was built at the station in 2001 by the Masterton District Council as part of a regional programme to "Enhance and expand urban public passenger transport facilities and services".^{[5] [6]}

In 2006, it was proposed that the historic Class 6 station shelter shed at Solway be removed to a fenced yard at Carterton Station to make way for a new shelter and the platform improvements. After concern was expressed by local residents the plan was rescinded.^[7]

Footnotes

1. Web site: Text description of fare zone boundaries. 27 November 2007. Metlink. Public transport in Wellington. Greater Wellington Regional Council. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20071218135235/http://www.metlink.org.nz/story21116.php. 18 December 2007. dmy.
2. News: Matt . Radley . New Metlink Wairarapa train and Wairarapa station improvements . Greater Wellington Regional Council . 14 May 2007 . 29 October 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927043417/http://www.gw.govt.nz/story22174.cfm . 27 September 2007 . dead . dmy .
3. News: JO . MOIR . Station upgrades on schedule . Wairarapa Times-Age . 13 June 2007 . 29 October 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235056/http://times-age.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3737826&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection= . 26 September 2007 . dmy-all .
4. Book: Cameron, Walter Norman . A Line Of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas . 1976 . New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society . Wellington . 0-908573-00-6 .
5. Kevin . Grace . Current Status of Passenger Transport Infrastructure Projects . Passenger Transport Committee . Greater Wellington Regional Council . 30 July 2001 . PDF . 29 October 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081017193529/http://gw.govt.nz/council-reports/pdfs/reportdocs/2001_257_1_Report.pdf . 17 October 2008 . dmy-all .
6. Anthony . Brennand . New Items on the Passenger Transport Infrastructure Priority Lists . Passenger Transport Committee . Greater Wellington . 10 March 1999 . 29 October 2007 .
7. News: JO . MOIR . Solway station to stay where it is . Wairarapa Times-Age . 13 March 2007 . 29 October 2007 .

External links

• Passenger timetables from Metlink and Tranz Metro.