Robert West Holmes (25 September 1856 – 8 February 1936) was a New Zealand

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

. He was born on 25 September 1856 in London. In the Public Works Department he was responsible for the construction of the North Island Main Trunk Railway from 1891 to 1899, during which he completed the gap in the middle of the North Island with the Raurimu Spiral. He retired in 1920, having been Engineer-in-Chief of the department from 1907 to 1920 (and Undersecretary for a period in 1920).

References

1856 births 1936 deaths New Zealand civil engineers New Zealand Companions of the Imperial Service Order 19th-century New Zealand engineers 20th-century New Zealand engineers New Zealand people in rail transport Engineers from London New Zealand public servants {{NewZealand-bio-stub