Kaiwharawhara Station closed temporarily on 13 June 2013 due to safety concerns about the pedestrian overbridge, which a visual inspection carried out by the Regional Council found to have advanced corrosion.

Preparatory work was started in 1903 with construction commencing from Petone the following year, reaching Kaiwarra in 1909 and Wellington on 4 April 1911.

The Kaiwarra signal box was dismantled and the old railway station replaced with two new narrow island platforms with simple passenger shelters.

This gave a fifth track through Kaiwharawhara running on the western side of the four main lines, as was evidenced for many years by the extra track with overhead wiring still in place, which was used to access an oil depot (just south of the Kaiwharawhara Stream), the NZR Signals Depot, and several warehouses.

Repair and prefabrication or prewiring of signalling equipment was carried out at the Kaiwharawhara Depot from c1900 until 1993, when it was transferred to Woburn railway station.

The overbridge was demolished in March 2014 with the stairs, previously renewed and in good condition, relocated to Trentham station.

[16] On 3 July 2019, a derailed goods wagon [17] [18] damaged both tracks out of Wellington serving all lines apart from the Johnsonville Line and stopping most commuter services into Wellington; partial service was not restored until the next day.

Alterations to Kaiwharawhara Station so it could be used as an emergency Wellington terminal for the Hutt, Kapiti and Melling lines are to be completed in 2020.