Khandallah Railway Station

Story

Khandallah railway station is one of eight stations on the Johnsonville Line, a commuter branch railway north of Wellington in New Zealand’s North Island. The station was erected and operated by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR) on their line from Wellington to Longburn. From the acquisition of the WMR by the New Zealand Railways Department in 1908 until the opening of the Tawa Flat deviation in 1937, the station was on the North Island Main Trunk Railway.Electric multiple unit trains are operated under the Metlink brand through this station in both directions to Johnsonville (to the north) and Wellington (to the south).HistoryKhandallah was one of three stations constructed by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company on what is now known as the Johnsonville Branch. It was opened on 21 September 1885 along with the first section of the company’s line between Wellington and Paremata. Timetabled services began several days later on the 24th.As originally constructed by the WMR, the "flag" station had a single side platform, a small wooden passenger shelter, and a crossing loop. Later, after the government assumed control of the line, the station had a signal box built at the north end of the platform, a second loop and a back shunt. By 1947, there was only one loop and the second platform had been installed with its own passenger shelter. The back shunt and signal box were removed more recently, possibly when the WMR station building was replaced in 1967.