Nelson railway proposals

[1] On 26 July 1880 a government-appointed commission made recommendations on the future of several lines under construction or consideration, including those to serve Nelson.

By the time work on the Nelson Section resumed in 1890, the route had changed with the new objective being the Spooner’s Range tunnel, and the 4 km of formation already built beyond Belgrove was abandoned, costing the taxpayer £10,700.

There was also a proposal to connect to the West Coast via Kawatiri and Inangahua, but this was rejected in favour of the line passing through existing rural communities to the south-west of Nelson.

The intention was that the line would continue westwards via Murchison and the Buller River gorge to the nearest railhead, at Inangahua Junction.

The goal of a connection at Inangahua fell short by 42 miles (68 km), a failure that eventually contributed to the demise of the section.

Prime Minister Walter Nash officially opened the project on 1 March 1960 at a ceremony attended by 3,000 people, at which a plaque to commemorate the occasion was unveiled.

The Railways Department had already determined that the line would initially be uneconomic, but later the operating costs would be covered by revenue from timber traffic alone, without counting all the other industrial freight that could also be expected.

When they won the election, Keith Holyoake, the new prime minister, announced on 14 December 1960 that all work was to stop forthwith and that the authorisation legislation would be repealed in the first session of parliament.

The plaque remained for many years in an open field outside the city[1] but is now located at the Grove railway station in Founders Park.