Otorohanga railway station

Otorohanga railway station serves the town of Ōtorohanga, on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand. The current station dates from 1924.

Trains calling at Ōtorohanga included The Overlander, Blue Streak, Scenic Daylight, Daylight Limited, Northerner, Northern Explorer, and Night Limited. By 2012, passenger numbers had dropped to an average of two per train, which brought about a brief closure from 24 June. Initially the reinstatement was for summer only from 10 December. Scheduled services to Otorohanga were suspended from December 2021 to 25 September 2022. Currently passengers need to pre-book services to and from the station

History
Surveying to extend the railway 14 mi from Te Awamutu to Ōtorohanga was started in 1883 by Charles Wilson Hursthouse. The first sod ceremony was performed at the Puniu River on 15 April 1885. Trains were working through to Ōtorohanga by January 1887, and the extension opened on 6, or 8 March 1887, though the line wasn't handed over from the Public Works Department to the Railways Department (NZR) until Wednesday 9 March. Initially trains only ran on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Coates & Metcalfe were the contractors for the 11 mi extension of the NIMT, from Ōtorohanga to Te Kuiti. Until August 1887, the contractors provided goods trains on the extension. By October 1887 goods trains ran on Mondays and Fridays. NZR took over from the contractors, adding a passenger service on those days from Friday 2 December 1887.

By April 1887, there was a 4th class station building and by 1896 a platform, cart approach, 40 ft x 30 ft goods shed, loading bank, cattle yards, urinals and a passing loop for 31 wagons. There was a Post Office at the station from 1893 to 1908. In 1910 a station on the town side of the line replaced the old station and the goods shed was moved near the old station site. A stationmaster's house was added in 1912 and a crane in 1913. On 17 December 1923 the station burnt down. The current station opened in 1924. Electric light was added in 1927. Three railway houses were added in 1953. In 1980 there was a station building, platform, goods shed, gantry, stockyards and a loop for 81 wagons. The station was given a New Zealand Historic Places Trust Category 2 listing in 1985.

Services
The station is managed by KiwiRail who operate the Northern Explorer three times a week in each direction between Wellington and The Strand. Hamilton is 48.11 km to the north, timetabled in 2015, departure to departure, in 39 minutes, and National Park, 147.58 km to the south, in 139 minutes, both southbound. Scheduled passenger services were suspended in December 2021. Then reinstated later in 2022.

Patronage
As shown in the table and graph below, passenger numbers peaked during World War 2 -

Rangitoto Colliery Co. branch


In 1890 Ellis & Burnand had sought tenders for a tramway to bring timber to their mill and it was mentioned as flooded in 1892. The 1919 Railways Authorisation Bill included a, "branch line from Otorohanga, along right bank of the Waipa River, to the south boundary of Block VI, Mangaoronga survey district. Length about 7½ miles." The Railway Atlas indicates the line was horse worked, served the Ellis and Burnand Mill (open 1889–1912), as well as the colliery, and existed by 1921. The 1921 photograph (left) appears to show a horse worked tramway, but only remnants of the line appear in the 1947 photos.

The mine closed in 1937, after 11 years of working, "as the coal was of inferior quality and the expenses of mining and marketing the output were unduly high." However, a 1944 Parliamentary report indicates that production recommenced, but a road was built, rather than using the tramway. The report said, "Rangitoto Opencast.—Stripping of this area, adjacent to the old Rangitoto Colliery, some eight miles from Otorohanga, commenced, in July. An access road was also constructed. Coal-production started in September, Output for 1944 was 1,797 tons."