Solway railway station

Solway railway station is a suburban railway station serving Solway and the southern end of Masterton, New Zealand. The station is located on the Wairarapa Line, 88.1 km (54.7 mi) north of Wellington and 2.9 km (1.8 mi) south of Masterton. The Wairarapa Connection serves the station several times daily with services to Wellington and Masterton. The station has a single track served by a four-car platform on the Ngaumutawa Road side.

Solway railway station.

Solway
Metlink regional rail
Historic station shelter
Location	Ngaumutawa Road, Solway, Masterton, New Zealand
Coordinates	40°57′11.94″S 175°37′30.72″E
Elevation	124 metres (407 ft)
Owned by	Greater Wellington Regional Council
Line(s)	Wairarapa Line
Distance	88.09 kilometres (54.74 mi) from Wellington
Platforms	Single side
Tracks	main line
Train operators	Tranz Metro
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
Architectural style	Vogel class 6
Other information
Station code	SOLW
Fare zone	14[1]
History
Opened	1 November 1880
Closed	13 October 1986 (freight)
Rebuilt	2007
Previous names	Kurupuni, Purakau
Services
ONTRACK   Preceding station   Tranz Metro   Following station Renall Street toward Masterton Wairarapa Connection Carterton toward Wellington

As part of the Wairarapa station upgrade programme to prepare stations for the SW-class passenger carriages, this station was upgraded between 14 May 2007 and late August 2007.[2][3]

History

When the station was opened along with the line to Masterton on 1 November 1880 it had only a shelter and platform. It was originally named Kurupuni and was located south of Masterton. Later, the station was briefly known as Purakau between 1908 and 1912 when it was renamed Solway.[4] The station was never regarded as being of any great importance but did also handle freight until 1986 with customers including the Wairarapa Electric Power Board and a fertiliser company.

Station car park.

A new car park was built at the station in 2001 by the Masterton District Council as part of a regional programme to "Enhance and expand urban public passenger transport facilities and services".[5][6]

In 2006 it was proposed that the historic Class 6 station shelter shed at Solway be removed to a fenced yard at Carterton Station to make way for a new shelter and the platform improvements. After concern was expressed by local residents the plan was rescinded.[7]

Footnotes

1. Metlink. "Text description of fare zone boundaries". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2007.
2. Radley, Matt (14 May 2007). "New Metlink Wairarapa train and Wairarapa station improvements". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
3. MOIR, JO (13 June 2007). "Station upgrades on schedule". Wairarapa Times-Age. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
4. Cameron, Walter Norman (1976). A Line Of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. Wellington: New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. ISBN 0-908573-00-6.
5. Grace, Kevin (30 July 2001). "Current Status of Passenger Transport Infrastructure Projects" (PDF). Passenger Transport Committee. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
6. Brennand, Anthony (10 March 1999). "New Items on the Passenger Transport Infrastructure Priority Lists". Passenger Transport Committee. Greater Wellington. Retrieved 29 October 2007.
7. MOIR, JO (13 March 2007). "Solway station to stay where it is". Wairarapa Times-Age. Retrieved 29 October 2007.

External links

• Passenger timetables from Metlink and Tranz Metro.