The railway through Otiria was built in the early 20th century to connect Opua and Kawakawa with Whangārei; the through route opened on 13 April 1911.

[4] This was quickly followed by the commencement of work on the Okaihau Branch from Otiria; it opened to Kaikohe in May 1914 and Ōkaihau in October 1923.

[5] In December 1925, passenger trains offering direct service to and from Auckland began running through Otiria.

[6] Mixed trains to Whangarei continued to operate; the final passenger service through Otiria ran on 18 June 1976.

[10] In January 2020 the Government announced the reopening and building of a container terminal as part of a $109.7 million investment in Northland rail.