Waterloo railway station, Lower Hutt

Waterloo Interchange railway station is a dual-platform suburban railway station located in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, and serving immediately the suburbs of Waterloo, Lower Hutt Central and Woburn. The station stands on the Hutt Valley section of the Wairarapa Line, 15.5 km (9.6 mi) north of Wellington. Trains stopping at Waterloo run to Wellington, Taita, Upper Hutt and Masterton, as well as to points in between. Waterloo serves as a major bus-rail interchange, connecting buses to and from central Lower Hutt, Naenae and Wainuiomata with trains to and from Wellington.

"Waterloo Interchange" redirects here. It is not to be confused with London Waterloo station.

Waterloo Interchange (Hutt Central)
Metlink suburban rail
LocationCambridge Terrace, Waterloo, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Coordinates41°12′49.77″S 174°55′15.95″E
Owned byGreater Wellington Regional Council
Line(s)Wairarapa Line
PlatformsDual, side
TracksMain line (2)
ConnectionsBus services
Construction
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Other information
Station codeWATE
Fare zone4[1]
History
Opened26 May 1927
Rebuilt26 November 1988
Electrified12 September 1953
Previous namesWaterloo
Services
  KiwiRail  
Preceding station   Metlink   Following station
toward Upper Hutt
Hutt Valley Line
toward Wellington
toward Masterton
Wairarapa Connection
toward Wellington

History
Waterloo station in 1950, looking south.

Two major reasons were the impetus for the construction of the Hutt Valley Branch between Petone and Waterloo: first, the Petone Workshops had reached the end of their useful life; second, with increasing traffic demands on the line between Petone and Haywards and the lack of room to double-track the line on its existing route meant a new mainline had to be built. The line was surveyed between 1924 and 1925, with a short industrial branch leaving the Hutt Valley Branch at Woburn to serve the new Hutt Workshops. On 26 May 1927 the rails reached Waterloo, which was then in the middle of open fields. This station was the terminus of the Hutt Valley Branch line until an extension north to Naenae was opened in 1946. The station was opened with automatic, three-aspect colour light signals which had been standard since 1924.

It was always intended that Waterloo would one day serve a major population centre which, in the years following World War II and the population boom that ensued, was proved correct. Significant urban development of the Hutt Valley in the 1940s led to the decision in February 1946 to commence electrification in 1949 and to operate electric train between Waterloo and Wellington from August 1953. Until the connection of the Hutt Valley Branch to the Wairarapa Line and its opening as the new mainline on 1 March 1954, Waterloo served only suburban passenger services, with Upper Hutt and Wairarapa trains continuing to use the old line between Haywards and Petone on the western side of the Hutt Valley.

In 1986, as a result of the Hutt Valley Transport Study, Waterloo was designated an interchange for bus and rail services in preference to Woburn, which had previously had this role. It was felt that Waterloo was a more logical choice as it was closer to centres of residential and commercial interest, had sufficient room for bus platforms to be installed, and was not burdened with other operational requirements such as Woburn being the junction with the Gracefield Branch, with its loops and sidings. The new interchange facility at Waterloo was opened on 26 November 1988 and fully integrated with all the new public transport routes and timetables by the following March.

Services

Rail

Transdev Wellington, on behalf of the Greater Wellington Regional Council, operates Hutt Valley Line electric suburban services between Wellington and Upper Hutt via Waterloo. It also operates the Wairarapa Connection diesel-hauled service between Wellington and Masterton via Waterloo. The basic daytime off-peak timetable is:

  • 3 trains per hour (tph) Hutt Valley Line services to Wellington, stopping all stations.
  • 3 tph Hutt Valley Line services to Upper Hutt, stopping all stations.
  • Two Wairarapa Connection services to Wellington, stopping Petone only.
  • Two Wairarapa Connection services to Masterton, stopping all stations from Upper Hutt.

The basic morning peak timetable is:

  • 6 tph Hutt Valley Line to Wellington, split:
    • 3 tph stopping all stations to Petone
    • 3 tph non-stop
  • 2 tph Hutt Valley Line to Upper Hutt, stopping all stations
  • Three Wairarapa Connection services to Wellington, stopping Petone only.

Bus

Metlink bus routes 121, 130, 150, 160 and 170 serve Waterloo.

gollark: I don't really... *do* formal English in practice... so I'm not sure.
gollark: I mean, you would probably still say "sir" excessively.
gollark: Apiohazard exposure?
gollark: I wonder why.
gollark: But if you don't use the maximally formal form at all times, you might !!OFFEND SOMEONE!!.

References
  1. Metlink. "Text description of fare zone boundaries". Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 27 November 2007.

Further reading
  • 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.
  • Bromby, Robin (2003). Rails That Built A Nation: An Encyclopedia of New Zealand Railways. Wellington: Grantham House Publishing. ISBN 1-86934-080-9.
  • 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.
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