Ohinewai railway station

Ohinewai Railway Station was a flag station[2] on the North Island Main Trunk line, serving Ohinewai in the Waikato District of New Zealand, 59 mi (95 km) south of Auckland.[3] It was 8.18 km (5.08 mi) north of Huntly, 7.26 km (4.51 mi) south of Rangiriri[4] and 33 ft (10 m) above sea level.[5] It was in the village, just north of Tahuna Rd.[6]

    Preceding station Historical railways Following station
    Rangiriri
    Line open, station closed    		   North Island Main Trunk
    New Zealand Railways Department    		   Kimihia
    Line open, station closed

    Ohinewai Railway Station
    1940 aerial view of the Waikato River (left), Great South Rd at Ohinewai and Ohinewai railway station (right). The Waikato Expressway now runs through the centre
    LocationOhinewai
    New Zealand
    Coordinates37°29′21″S 175°09′40″E
    Owned byKiwiRail Network
    Line(s)North Island Main Trunk
    Tracksdouble track
    from 14 Dec 1958 to north
    from 27 August 1939 to south[1]
    History
    Opened13 August 1877
    Closed10 April 1965 passengers
    31 December 1978 goods

    History

    The station opened on 13 August 1877.[7] The early service averaged about 13 mph (21 km/h), taking about 4hr 45 mins to Auckland, 15mins to Rangiriri and 23mins to Ruawaro (Huntly).[8] A goods train took 1½hrs to Newcastle (Ngāruawāhia) and 1hr 17mins to Mercer, 3 days a week.[9]

    Tablet signalling was introduced in 1905.[10]

    In 1902 there were complaints of thefts due to lack of a caretaker.[11] It seems one had been appointed by 1915, as a storeman at the station[12] was killed at Gallipoli.[13]

    There was protest in 1925, when the only train which had allowed an Auckland day trip was withdrawn.[14] The previous year the Great South Rd had metal added at Ohinewai, so that it could be used all year,[15] and a bus started linking Ohinewai with Auckland, Morrinsville and Te Aroha in 1929.[16] Ohinewai's rail service was so poor that a wartime plan, to connect the bus with trains at Ohinewai, had to be amended to meeting at Mercer instead.[17]

    Track doubling to ease congestion had been authorised in 1914,[18] but work was delayed by the war. 300 men worked [19] on doubling the track between Huntly and Ohinewai, which opened on 27 August 1939.[20] To the north, doubling to Te Kauwhata didn't open until 14 December 1958.[4]

    In 1965 the station closed to passengers and on 31 December 1978 it closed completely.[21]

    References
    1. NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS GEOGRAPHICAL MILEAGE TABLE 1957
    2. "New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 May 1902. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
    3. "Page 6 Advertisements Column 3 (New Zealand Herald, 1882-03-31)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
    4. New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (Fourth ed.). Quail Map Co. 1993. ISBN 0 900609 92 3.
    5. "Ohinewai". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
    6. "One inch map Sheet N52". www.mapspast.org.nz. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    7. "TABLE NO. 9.— Appendix K. NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.—NORTH ISLAND. Statement of Lengths of Sections Open for Traffic, 31st March, 1880". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
    8. "Auckland Star". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 August 1877. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    9. "Auckland Star". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 29 January 1878. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    10. "Waikato Argus". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 10 October 1905. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    11. "Ohinewai Flag Station. New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 May 1902. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    12. "Auckland NZ railways roll of honour board". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    13. "ROLL OF HONOUR, EVENING POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 June 1915. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    14. "Waikato Train Service. Grievance at Ohinewai. New Zealand Herald". 16 March 1925.
    15. "Metal for Rangiriri. New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 26 July 1924. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    16. "MOTOR TRANSPORT NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 12 April 1933. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    17. "ROAD SERVICES, AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 19 February 1942. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    18. "Railways Improvement Authorization Act, 1914" (PDF).
    19. "Auckland Star – Railway Works. Double line track. Progress on Main Route". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 6 May 1939. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
    20. "Rail Duplication – New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 24 August 1939. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
    21. Scoble, Juliet (2012). Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand, 1863 to 2012. Wellington. p. 47.
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