Te Kauwhata was a

flag station In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...

on the

North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...

line, in the

Waikato District Waikato District is a territorial authority of New Zealand, in the northern part of Waikato region, North Island. Waikato District is administered by the Waikato District Council, with headquarters in Ngāruawāhia. The district is centred to t ...

of New Zealand, south of Auckland. It was north of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, north of

Rangiriri Rangiriri is a rural community in the Waikato District and Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Waikato River near Lake Waikare in the Waikato District. State Highway 1 now bypasses Rangiriri. Rangiriri was the s ...

, south of Whangamarino and above sea level. The name was changed from Wairangi to Waerenga in 1897 and to Te Kauwhata on 28 May 1911. Initially the station served a state experimental farm, but, from 1912, Te Kauwhata township was created. Crown_1397_3257_26

History

The station opened on 13 August 1877. The early service averaged about , taking about 4hr 15 mins to Auckland. The original station had a platform, shelter and a siding for 61 wagons. Station buildings were added in 1879, a cattle yard and loading platform in 1886, a goods shed from Otorohanga in 1894 and the old

Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, it is in South Auckland, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. Th ...

station in 1913, as a ladies’ waiting room. A goods shed was built in 1924 and a new station by 1925. There was a

station master The station master (or stationmaster) is the person in charge of a railway station, particularly in the United Kingdom and many other countries outside North America. In the United Kingdom, where the term originated, it is now largely historical ...

in 1932. Track doubling to ease congestion had been authorised in 1914, but work was delayed by the war. Doubling from Ohinewai to Te Kauwhata didn't open until 14 December 1958 and the line to the north remains single, though doubling is being investigated in a

business case A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. It is often presented in a well-structured written document, but may also come in the form of a short verbal agreement or presentation. The logic of the business case is that, ...

from July 2021. Unlocked points caused an express to derail in 1911. Three goods trains crashed at the station in 1930. A shunter was killed in 1931. Te_Kauwhata_railway_station_passenger_use_1923-1950

Te_Kauwhata_railway_station_passenger_use_1923-1950

Passenger numbers peaked in 1944, as shown in the graph and table below -

Reopening

A 2018 report to Waikato Regional Council suggested reopening in 2023, as the station has 3 tracks and "Te Kauwhata was considered to be the easiest of these stations to reactivate", the main work being raising the platform. The initial

Te Huia Te Huia is a passenger train service between Hamilton, Papakura, and Auckland (Strand) in New Zealand. The service is a five-year trial with subsidies from the NZ Transport Agency and Waikato local authorities. The opening was delayed because of ...

train, to commence in August 2020, will not stop at Te Kauwhata. In 2020 reopening of the platform was put forward as a COVID-19 recovery scheme, at an estimated cost of $10m.

References

{{Reflist

External links

1970s photos
Railway stations in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Waikato Rail transport in Waikato Waikato District Railway stations opened in 1877 Railway stations closed in 1985 1877 establishments in New Zealand