Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 38, 2020

The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the 682 km main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. Most of the NIMT is single track with frequent passing loops, built to the New Zealand track gauge of. The line is mostly double track, and around 460 km (approximately 65%) of the line is electrified in three separate sections. The first section of what became the NIMT opened in 1873 in Auckland. Construction at the Wellington end began in 1885. The line was completed in 1908 and was fully operational by 1909. It is credited for having been an economic lifeline for the young nation, and for having opened up the centre of the North Island to European settlement and investment. The NIMT has been described as an "engineering miracle", with numerous engineering feats such as viaducts, tunnels and a spiral built to overcome large elevation differences with grades suitable for steam engines.