Taumarunui railway station

Taumarunui railway station is the main railway station in Taumarunui, New Zealand, serving the Northern Explorer service between Auckland and Wellington. Historically, it was an important intermediate stop with a refreshment room on the North Island Main Trunk line; the subject of the ballad "Taumarunui on the Main Trunk Line" by Peter Cape.

History
The NIMT was opened to through Auckland to Wellington trains from 9 November 1908, with the first NIMT express trains from 14 February 1909. Trains also ran to Stratford from 1933.

The building opened on 1 December 1903, including cattle-yard, engine-shed, and railway workers' cottages,

In December 1900, the telephone line was extended to Taumarunui. Goods ran between Ongarue and Taumarunui from 2 February 1903, with the line opening on Friday 29 May 1903 and, on Tuesday 1 December 1903, the 28 mi line between Poro-O-Tarao and Taumarunui was transferred from the Public Works Department to New Zealand Railways.

Extension southward began with goods to Matapuna from 22 June 1903. The prime minister, Sir Joseph Ward, addressed a crowd of several hundred at Taumarunui on Saturday 8 August 1908, when the first Wellington to Auckland train paused at the station. When regular through trains started on Monday 9 November 1908, southbound passengers stayed overnight at Taumarunui. By 11 January 1909 the General Manager gave permission for passengers to sleep on the trains, owing to lack of accommodation at Taumarunui and Ohakune (for northbound passengers). As well as complaints about the quality and quantity of rooms, there was also praise for Taumarunui boarding houses and hotels. Through expresses started to call during the night at Taumarunui from 14 February 1909, with only 5 minutes at the station.

Refreshment rooms opened on 1 November 1909 and closed on 21 February 1975. In 1920 accommodation was provided for refreshment staff and in 1940 a hostel for female refreshment room staff was added.

The platform was extended in 1905 and alterations made to the stationmaster's house in 1908. By 1909, the station had a 30 ft by 20 ft goods shed, a loading bank, sheep yards, a crane, water service, coal accommodation, fixed signals, urinals and a passing loop for 98 wagons. Within 2 years, the goods shed had been doubled in length.

In 1902, a 50 ft turntable from Auckland was installed temporarily, replaced by one of 55 ft in 1907 and 21.3 m in 1929, costing £3060. In 1903, an engine shed was moved from Poro-O-Tarao to Taumarunui. A new goods shed was built by Johnson Brothers Ltd for £30,000 in 1966. The original station was replaced by a two-storey building, officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Muldoon on 10 July 1977. In 2016 the sidings to the north of the station were used to stable 110 former Auckland trains, displaced by electrification.

Services
Night Limited, Scenic Daylight, Silver Star, Silver Fern, Blue Streak, Northerner and Overlander all stopped at the station. On Friday 21 January 1983 the last passenger train ran between New Plymouth and Taumarunui. The station closed on 25 June 2012, when the passenger stop was dropped from the Northern Explorer's schedule, except for pre-booked groups of 10+. The stop was reinstated from 4 December 2022. As shown in the table and graph, passengers increased rapidly, reaching a peak in 1923.