Huntly railway station, Waikato facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Huntly Railway Station
Huntly station, footbridge and road/rail bridge in 1949
Location	Huntly New Zealand
Coordinates	37°33′36″S 175°09′36″E / 37.56000°S 175.16000°E / -37.56000; 175.16000
Elevation	13 m (43 ft)
Owned by	KiwiRail Network
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Distance	Wellington 573.76 km (356.52 mi)
Tracks	double track from 4 December 1938 to south from 27 August 1939 to north
History
Opened	13 August 1877 original 6 April 2021
Closed	10 April 2005
Rebuilt	1939, 2021
Previous names	Ruawaro, Huntley
Services
Preceding station   KiwiRail   Following station Papakura Terminus Te Huia Rotokauri toward Hamilton (Frankton) Historical railways Kimihia Line open, station closed   North Island Main Trunk KiwiRail   Taupiri Line open, station closed

Huntly Railway Station is on the North Island Main Trunk line and the Awaroa Branch in the town of Huntly in the Waikato District of New Zealand, 65 mi (105 km) south of Auckland. It is 7.31 km (4.54 mi) north of Taupiri and 2.78 km (1.73 mi) south of Kimihia.

History

The station opened on 13 August 1877, originally as Huntley Lodge or Ruawaro c1878, and Huntley from 1879 up to 1882, though all 3 names had been used locally since at least 1877. On 21 May 1972 the station was closed.

The station was enlarged in 1893. It had a Class 4 station building, described, in 1902, as built of wood and iron, with, "a large waiting room, ladies' waiting room, a lamp and luggage room, and the post and telegraph office. There is also a goods shed, and an engine and coaling shed for the engine. About ten trains daily pass through the station, and the staff consists of five hands, besides the stationmaster."

Traffic grew steadily (see graph and table below) so, in March 1920, the Town Board set out the need for a larger station. Requests were dismissed until, on 2 July 1936, the First Labour Government's new Minister of Railways said that provided the Government was re elected, a new station building would be provided.

tickets and season tickets sold at Huntly 1881–1950 (derived from figures in table). The growth in season tickets in the 1920s was probably due to opening of mines on the Awaroa Branch, on which it was said in 1928 that, "About 350 miners who are able to take advantage of the cheap workmen's tickets issued by the Railway Department travel daily to and from their work at the mines."

By 1925 there were 13 staff and 3 locomotives at Huntly engine shed.

1939 station

The new station opened on 28 May 1939, with Stationmaster, waiting, porters and parcels rooms. A 55 lever electric frame operated the newly doubled lines and extended yard. The old station was demolished to allow a platform extension.

Freight was also growing. In 1919 the Chief Traffic Manager reported that there was insufficient room and by 1924 the growth of coal mining had increased business a further 25%. A plan was made to enlarge the yard and move it south of the Awaroa Branch.

Closure and removal

In 1993 Huntly Lions Club repainted the station and the 1939 footbridge at the north end of the platform was moved to Helensville, though it couldn't be used, as too few parts survived for it to be safe. It had been raised to allow the SH1 bypass to be built in 1978 on the site of 2 shunting lines. Access was then only from Rayners Rd.

The Overlander continued to call at Huntly until 2005.

In 2008 the 1939 building was moved as part of plans to shift Waikato Coalfields Museum to Lake Puketirini (former Weavers opencast coal mine), the most vandalised park in the district. The museum plan was further discussed in 2017. In 2021 it was proposed that the building be moved back to the station for use as a museum and by Te Huia passengers.

Reopening

Originally on an island platform between the up and down lines, the replacement station was on a siding, so trains travelled at "yard" speed, and northbound trains had to cross over the southbound track.

$960,000 was to be spent to renovate the station for the new Te Huia service, originally promised for 2019, then delayed to March 2020, then 3 August 2020 and, finally, Tuesday April 6, 2021.

The shelter and platform needed upgrading plus "park-and-ride" facilities and a pedestrian overbridge to the town centre. Expenditure was increased by $3,279,495 in 2019, to provide points and extend the single platform to 140 m (460 ft). By October 2020, the new shelter was largely complete, and the carpark was to be finished in November.

The indicative start-up service timetable is:

Huntly was named after Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Gallery

• 

  Huntly about 1910

• 

  1933 view of stations at Huntly and Huntly Town (1916–1969), Awaroa Branch

• 

  Huntly station shelter in 2019

• 

  Huntly 1939 railway station at Lake Puketirini in 2020