Tawa Railway Station

Story

Tawa Railway Station, originally called Tawa Flat, is on the North Island Main Trunk Railway (NIMT) and is part of the suburban rail network of Wellington, New Zealand. It is double tracked with an island platform, and is from Wellington Railway Station, the southern terminus of the NIMT.ServicesTawa is served by Metlink Kapiti Line commuter trains operated by Tranz Metro. Trains run every 30 minutes off-peak, and more frequently during peak periods. A number of peak services run express between Porirua and Wellington and do not stop at Tawa.Services are operated by electric multiple units of the EM/ET class and FT/FP class (Matangi). Two diesel-hauled carriage trains, the Capital Connection and the Northern Explorer, both pass through the station but do not stop.HistoryThe original line through Tawa was built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR) and the station opened on 24 September 1885. At this time, the railway followed a circuitous route via Johnsonville to reach Wellington, and Tawa was 16.48 km from the terminus. The original station was a flag stop near the junction of Duncan Street and Tawa Street close to the present Redwood Railway Station, at which trains would only stop if signalled to do so by passengers wishing to board or alight.