Palmerston North–Gisborne Line
Hawke's Bay featured in Julius Vogel's "Great Public Works" scheme of 1870 to create a cohesive national transport network, and in 1871, a line south from Napier was officially authorised.
Construction commenced in 1872 and the first section opened to Hastings on 13 October 1874; from Napier's railway station, it followed a coastal shingle ridge to Clive, and then turned inland.
It was thickly wooded at the time and the upper reaches and tributaries of the Manawatū River provided engineering difficulties.
[5] The line opened to Pakipaki on 1 January 1875; Te Aute on 17 February 1876; Waipawa on 28 August 1876 and Waipukurau three days later on 1 September 1876.
Beyond Dannevirke, the terrain became somewhat easier and the line reached Woodville at the eastern end of the Manawatū Gorge on 22 March 1887.
However, work from the Palmerston North end had not begun until 1886, and due to significant engineering troubles associated with the Manawatū Gorge, the line was not completed until 9 March 1891.
[7] On 11 December 1897, the Wairarapa Line was completed through to Woodville and this provided a through NZR connection from Wellington to Hawke's Bay, via the Rimutaka Incline.
By 1900, a Railway League had been formed to pressure the government into building two lines, one via Rotorua to Auckland and another to Napier and thus Wellington.
The economic impacts of World War I led to the suspension of construction beyond Ngatapa towards Waikura, and it did not recommence until 1920 after further surveying was undertaken.
[19] In 1924, an engineer's report recommended this branch be incorporated as the southernmost portion of a new coastal route from Wairoa to Gisborne.
The first sod had been turned in Napier in 1912, but delays meant the line was not opened to Eskdale by the PWD until December 1922 and handed over to the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) on 23 July 1923.
[22] At this point, the construction of the line was plagued by natural disasters and a lack of money and government will to complete the project.
The Great Depression following the Wall Street crash of 1929 led to a temporary halt to the entire project.
[23] In February that year the Hawke's Bay earthquake resulted in the closure of the completed Napier – Putorino section.
[25] Due to the toll of the earthquake and the Great Depression, the government recommended that work cease and the line be abandoned.
[28] Severe flooding in February 1938 forced the closure of the entire line beyond Putorino and killed 21 construction workers on the final stage between Waikokopu and Gisborne in the Kopuawhara disaster.
[29] The PWD was able to operate freight trains through to Gisborne from 3 August 1942, passengers were carried from 7 September 1942, and the complete PNGL passed into NZR ownership on 1 February 1943.
[32] Following the election of the first Labour government in 1935, Bob Semple promised work on the Moutohora – Taneatua section would commence once men and equipment were available.
By late 1946, no further work had been undertaken; in 1947 a further promise was made of an "early connection" following a strong showing for the opposition at the 1946 New Zealand general election.
Goosman would not make any commitment to the project, and pointed to a new highway parliament had authorised between Opotiki and Gisborne as an alternative to the rail link.
Until the completion of the line from Napier to Palmerston North, passengers were catered for solely by slow mixed trains that also conveyed goods.
[7] While the Express ran through the Wairarapa, WA class locomotives hauled a feeder service between Palmerston North and Woodville.
[38] In 1968 and 1971, cuts were made to the services as the railcars wore out, and on 6 November 1972, they were cancelled entirely on the Wellington to Napier run and replaced by the Endeavour, which was modelled on the successful Southerner.
It ran once daily in each direction, but its quality gradually declined during the 1980s as the rolling stock was reallocated to other trains; this included the removal of a buffet car, necessitating lengthy refreshment stops in Napier and Palmerston North.
Declining patronage and an unwillingness on the part of Tranz Scenic to replace the decades-old rolling stock meant that the Bay Express was cancelled from 7 October 2001.
By the late 20th century, the emphasis had dramatically changed to long-distance bulk freight, including frozen meat, canned foods, and fertiliser from near Gisborne.
3,4,5 near Woodville at the east end of the Manawatū Gorge were "daylighted" or opened out in May–November 2008 to allow the use of "hi-cube" containers on the line.
[45] In February 2018 it was announced that $5 million from the Provincial Development Fund would be allocated to reopen the section for forestry trains.
[55] On 23 March 1967 a freight train and railcar had a head on crash at Whakaki, injuring 16 passengers,[56] probably due to the drivers of the DA locomotive falling asleep.
[67] In December 2023 the Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, indicated that the Napier-Wairoa line wouldn't be reopened, saying, "My personal view is that railway is a low priority and it is something that we shouldn’t be progressing.
