Kapuni Branch
The Opunake Branch, later the Kapuni Branch, was a branch railway in North Island, New Zealand. It opened in 1924, and ran 36.4 km across the southern slopes of Mount Taranaki to link the rural town of Opunake with the Marton–New Plymouth Line at Te Roti. With the decline of rural freight, part of the line was closed in 1976, but the 10.9 km section to Kapuni was retained and upgraded to service traffic to the Kapuni natural gas field.
| Kapuni Branch (was Opunake Branch) | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Open to Kapuni |
| Termini | Te Roti Kapuni was Opunake |
| Operation | |
| Owner | New Zealand Railways Department |
| Operator(s) | KiwiRail;New Zealand Railways Department |
| Character | Rural |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 10.9 km (6.8 mi) was 36.4 km (22.6 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Single |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
History
A branch line of "about 23 miles" to Opunake was authorised in 1912 for £400,000 by the Railways Authorization Act, 1912. Work commenced in 1914, and earthworks reached Kapuni by 1916, but progress was slowed by World War I. Work was suspended in December 1917, and recommenced in March 1919. At the peak 200 men were employed on line works, including a large 1.6 km cutting near Waiteika. The Waingongoro Bridge near Te Roiti, an unusual (for New Zealand) brick arch bridge, was completed in 1921, and the second bridge in 1923.
The Public Works Department began running goods trains to Kapuni from 1 August 1923, and to Mangawhero Road by December 1924. The Opunake terminal was reached on 8 June 1925. On 12 July 1926 the Railways Department took over the line, with three goods trains each way a week plus passenger services.
A 9km branch from Kapuni to Manaia was built in 1920-24 to service a ballast pit on the Kaupokonui River but was closed and the track lifted by 1926.
Passenger services on the branch ended on 16 October 1955. DB class diesels were used from December 1966, then DC class diesels from the 1980s. On April 1976 it was decided to close the line beyond Kapuni from July, and the 10.9 km section to Kapuni was upgraded and renamed the Kapuni Branch.
Today the former 25.5km section from Kapuni to Opunake has "plenty of railway remnants to satisfy the enthusiast" with sections of roadbed, cuttings, goods shed and loading bay at Pihama and a locomotive shed, gateposts, a platform and goods loading bank at Opunake. [1]
References
- Leitch & Scott 1998, p. 24.
Bibliography
- Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.
- Leitch, David; Scott, Brian (1998). Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways. Grantham House. ISBN 1-86934-048-5.
- Hermann, Bruce J; North Island Branch Lines pp 49,50 (2007, New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society, Wellington) ISBN 978-0-908573-83-7