Pahiatua Railway Station

Story

Pahiatua railway station is on the Wairarapa Line in New Zealand’s North Island. It was opened in May 1897, shortly before the line was opened to Woodville in December of that year. The station is from Pahiatua, in contrast to the original plans for the railway line to run through the town.As Pahiatua is one of the more significant towns in the northern Wairarapa, the station was for many years one of the few staffed stations on the northern section of the line. Though passenger traffic ceased in 1988, the station continues to be the source of freight traffic thanks to the neighbouring dairy factory, and it is also the home of the Pahiatua Railcar Society.HistoryOperationHeyday: 1897–1908When the station opened, Pahiatua was served by mixed trains that had were extended as the railway made its way north. These trains provided the only passenger services to Pahiatua for the few months it took to complete the line through to Woodville.At the time the Wairarapa Line was completed, the Wellington – Longburn line was owned and operated by the private Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, meaning all government trains from Wellington ran via the Wairarapa, giving a status of some importance to stations like Pahiatua. The popular Napier Mail was diverted from its original Napier – Palmerston North route to run via the Wairarapa to Wellington, and became the main passenger service stopping at Pahiatua, supplementing the mixed trains that continued to run. This situation continued until 1908, after when the Wairarapa Line reverted to secondary line status.