Proposals have been made to reinstate a commuter rail service from Lyttelton, but that is not considered to be a realistic possibility for the foreseeable future.

On 16 April 1861, Canterbury Superintendent, William Moorhouse, engaged the services of Melbourne-based contractors Holmes & Co. to construct the Lyttelton rail tunnel.

Trains were worked to the sides of ships for the transfer of cargo by means of wagon turntables, because the tracks in the station yard were at right angles to the wharves.

I do not remember seeing anywhere a railway station of the dimensions and importance of that at Lyttelton where people were sent out of doors in all weathers to reach the carriages".

[7] The platform was lengthened in 1903 to accommodate an additional two carriages, necessitating the relocation of the lamp room to a position near the engine shed.

Though plans for the station were completed in 1927 and promises made by the Railways Department to build it after the electrification of the Lyttelton rail tunnel, there was no progress.

Even before the third station opened, there were doubts about the long-term viability of passenger rail services between Lyttelton and Christchurch.

It was expected to make road transport a serious competitor to the railways for the custom of passengers, and concerns were expressed that a new station for Lyttelton could not be justified.

As part of the station redevelopment, the functions of the Goods Office were moved to the former Harbour Board building, on the corner of Oxford Street and Norwich Quay.

That building was also to house the station master, the railway port superintendent and the goods supervisor, as well as their respective support staff.

In 1972. it was proposed to alter the station building to accommodate all of the salaried division staff based at Lyttelton.

2 was removed, the Railways Department decided to also rationalise the trackwork on the waterfront and informed the Harbour Board of plans to disconnect wharves 4 and 7.

Further modifications were planned to waterfront trackwork in 1982, when the department notified the Harbour Board that it intended to remove rail access to No.

In February 1965, the Lyttelton Harbour Board decided to construct a new passenger terminal and vehicle loading facility on wharf no.

The Railways Department maintained a desire to augment the platform and, in 1968, the District Traffic Manager, with the support of the Lyttelton Stationmaster, asked that the District Engineer seriously consider the idea of lengthening the platform to the end of the wharf, which would allow for an additional two carriages to be attached to trains.

The Harbour Board agreed to purchase it and told the department it would eventually demolish it as part of wharf reconstruction works.

Passenger traffic on the preceding Ferrymead line had been very light, consisting almost entirely of people living in the vicinity, because the walk over the Port Hills was considered to be too arduous.

From 1895, and nightly from 1905, an inter-island ferry service operated between Wellington and Lyttelton, being the main way people travelled between the two islands.

To do that, trains were hauled past Lyttelton station into a headshunt, from which they were moved by a different locomotive around a sharp curve onto the wharf.

[10] A major improvement in operations to Lyttelton was heralded by the inauguration of electrification on 14 February 1929, when the first electric locomotive-hauled passenger service arrived from Christchurch.

That was the first suburban electric train service in the country, and its implementation was based on the successful electrification of the Otira Tunnel in 1923.

[11] Introduction of the electric services was popular with both train crews and passengers, eliminating the nuisance of smoke in the tunnel they had previously endured.

Later, diesel locomotives began to make their presence felt at Lyttelton and, in 1969, four Hitachi rail tractors were assigned there.

In response to a request for the Railways Department to cease blocking access to the Breakwater and Launch wharves in winter months, during which AB class locomotives were used to heat the carriages of the Steamer Express trains, the department sought clearance from the Harbour Board to stand the locomotives on the wharf while the carriages were being heated.

[10] In a letter dated 5 February 1982, the Acting District Traffic Manager made the following points, that give some insight into the type and volume of traffic handled at Lyttelton at the time: The original Lyttelton station signal box is the only building that survives, and, after its relocation, is now sited near the former station building.

The Lyttelton Port of Christchurch owns the land around the former station building, access to which is restricted to authorised personnel.

Major sources of traffic for the port include export dairy products, coal, timber, vehicles, and other general container freight.

[14][15] New Zealand Railways Corporation staff were based at Lyttelton station through the 1980s for the management of container traffic but have since been relocated.

Beginning with the 1997–1998 summer season, Tranz Scenic provided day trips for passengers from cruise ships docked at Lyttelton out to Arthur's Pass.

Since 2000, Tranz Scenic have run special trains which collect passengers from Lyttelton railway station and take them direct to Arthur's Pass, using spare carriages from the TranzAlpine/TranzCoastal fleet.