Matarawa railway station

Matarawa railway station is a small single-platform railway station on the Wairarapa Line that serves the small rural community of Matarawa in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand.

Matarawa
Metlink regional rail
LocationRailway Road, Dalefield, New Zealand
Coordinates41°2′55.78″S 175°26′53.31″E
Elevation70 metres (230 ft)
Owned byGreater Wellington Regional Council
Line(s)Wairarapa Line
Distance69.61 kilometres (43.25 mi) from Wellington
PlatformsSingle
Tracksmain line
Train operatorsTransdev Wellington
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingNo
Bicycle facilitiesNo
Other information
Station codeMATA
Fare zone13[1]
History
Opened1 November 1880 (1880-11-01)
Rebuilt2007
Services
Preceding station   Transdev Wellington   Following station
toward Masterton
Wairarapa Connection
toward Wellington

History
"Vogel-era" class 6 passenger shelter shed.
Loading bank.

This station opened on 1 November 1880, when the line between Woodside Junction and Masterton was officially opened. Initially it had a shelter shed, loading bank and crossing loop and was used to cross trains until the introduction of signalling at the larger Wairarapa stations. In its early years several sawmills flourished in the vicinity, with timber making up a bulk of the goods loaded. The crossing loop and private sawmill sidings have been removed.[2]

In 2006, with the introduction of the SW-class carriages for the Wairarapa Connection service looming, it was proposed that this station be closed due to its low patronage and the cost involved in building a platform so that passengers could safely board and disembark from the new carriages. After vocal opposition from local residents, this proposal was rescinded.[3]

This station was temporarily closed from 17 May 2007 to 4 June 2007 to enable construction work to proceed on preparations for the new carriages. The station was reopened on 7 June 2007 with a new platform (prior to the upgrade it did not have a platform).[4][5][6]

Services

The request stop is served by the Wairarapa Connection has five services each way on Monday to Thursday, six on Friday and two on Saturday and Sunday. Trains run to Masterton and Wellington. No bus routes serve the station.

References
  1. Metlink. "Text description of fare zone boundaries". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  2. Cameron, Walter Norman (1976). A Line Of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. Wellington: New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. ISBN 0-908573-00-6.
  3. Radley, Matt (27 March 2007). "Matarawa station to stay open". Greater Wellington. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
  4. Radley, Matt (14 May 2007). "New Metlink Wairarapa train and Wairarapa station improvements". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
  5. Radley, Matt (14 June 2007). "More new carriages introduced on Wairarapa line". Greater Wellington. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
  6. "Rail upgrades near end". Wairarapa Times-Age. 13 September 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
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