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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]

Railways

Railways.

The railway communication with the Capital City is not yet by any means complete, though vast improvements have been effected in this respect during the past ten years. The Government line, which starts at Te Aro—about half-a-mile south of the wharf, and runs over the Rimutaka mountains, and through the Wairarapa Valley, on the way to Napier, is completed as far as Eketahuna, a distance of ninety-four miles; and on the West Coast the private line of the Wellington and Manawatu Company connects with the Foxton-New Plymouth line at Long-burn, a junction about four miles south of Palmerston. By this route; Wellington is in unbroken communication with Foxton, Wanganui, and New Plymouth on the West Coast, and with Napier on the East (by way of the Manawatu Gorge). When the twenty-seven miles of railway between Eketahuna and Woodville, now in course of construction, is complete, there will be a choice of routes between Wellington and Woodville.

Photo by Mr. R. J. Hardie Shaw. Houghton Bay.

Photo by Mr. R. J. Hardie Shaw.
Houghton Bay.

Wellington is possessed of three railway stations—none of them imposing, but all fairly commodious. The Te Aro station, which is the southern extremity of the Government line, was erected in 1893, when the mile of line running through the town from the Wellington station was made and opened. Like the others, this station is of wood and iron; but, unlike the others, it is large enough for all probable requirements for many years to come. The Wellington station is about half-a-mile north of the wharf, and about two minutes' walk from the Government Buildings. The “Manawatu station,” as it is generally called, is at the extreme north of the City, and therefore much too far away for a permanent station; but when the anticipations of the people are realised by the Government's purchase of the Manawatu line, doubtless these two will be abolished and Wellington will be favoured with a station in some measure comparable with her importance as the natural outlet of a vast and fertile district. This cutting up of the City's railway business into three stations is productive of a good deal of confusion. Strangers frequently find themselves at the wrong platform; and old residents who only occasionally use the train make awkward mistakes sometimes. A central station at the foot of the wharf is among the conveniences hoped for by the very sanguine. A [unclear: station] there would certainly command the bulk of the patronage.