[11] The Minister of Railways, Alfred Cadman, drove the first train into Thames, headed by an F class locomotive.

The last service on the line was on 28 June 1991, following the reduction in output from the Toyota New Zealand assembly plant at Thames resulting in loss of traffic.

[2] The Toyota plant closed for vehicle assembly in 1997[1] and 60 kilometres (37 mi) of track was then lifted between Thames and the dairy factory at Waitoa.

[2] In 2004 the section of the line as far as Waitoa, which was still in place, was re-opened for dairy traffic, as part of Fonterra's policy of reviewing its transport links.

[18] Currently, services to Waitoa consist of scheduled weekday shunts to Hamilton and Morrinsville carrying dairy products, usually powered by a DSJ class shunting locomotive, or by a DC class mainline locomotive when higher tonnages are being moved.

[20] Most of the former rail alignment is now part of the Hauraki Rail Trail of the New Zealand Cycle Trail network, with the local councils in 2011 securing a 20-year lease, though the option of prior termination remains should KiwiRail intend to relay the railway to run trains along the corridor again.