Dunedin Railway Station

The Dunedin Railway Station (English Dunedin railway station) is now one of the most recognizable structures in the South Island of New Zealand and a jewel of architecture in the country.

Stations for Dunedin

Early on Dunedin was opened in the development of railways in New Zealand on the rail track. On January 1, 1873, the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway was opened as the first track in the binding since 1871 in New Zealand track width of 1,067 mm. On September 7, 1878, the opening of a total of 367 kilometers of South Iceland Main Trunk Railway between Christchurch and Dunedin was. Further surveying of land in the south followed a little later. Due to its important port for immigrants from Europe, but also the export of goods to Australia and Europe quickly developed a need for appropriate terminals. Already in 1875, was near the Queen Victoria statue of Dunedin right next to the first, a second station, five years later was again needed to expand the facilities. But it was only on June 3, 1904 and is finally laying the foundation stone for a new, large and sufficiently dimensioned station area by the Minister of Railways, Joseph Ward.

Construction of the largest railway station in New Zealand

According to the draft of the first official architect of the New Zealand Railways, George A. Troup, who was also responsible for the stations in New Plymouth, Lower Hutt and bluff, he created his masterpiece here. Held in the Flemish Renaissance style, the building was built from dark basalt and light, signified as Oamaru stone limestone from nearby quarries. Polished granite slabs characterize the Torgänge the front of the building, over 725 760 porcelain tiles are installed to mosaic surfaces in the corridors and in the large main hall of the building and to show interesting images of railway vehicles, wheels, signals, locomotives and the large letters NZR New Zealand Railways. The main platform is about one kilometer length of the longest in the country. The most striking part of the station building is impressive but the rectangular tower at the southwest corner of the building with a height of over 37 meters and carries on 3 sides, a 1.5 meter tall clock, which is lit up at night from the inside. The new station building was opened in October 1906 again by Joseph Ward, now heading the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the last work on the system but were only completed by November, 1907. The total cost amounted to 120,500 pounds (about NZ $ 241,000 ), a huge sum at that time.

Loss of meaning

Were in the first decades of the twentieth century, yet tens of thousands of travelers counted daily at the station, this number declined gradually, usually associated with the setting of railway lines to Dunedin. In 1976, the route was Dunedin - Alexandra the Central Otago Line set. In 1982, as the suburban traffic was stopped by train in Dunedin, around 4,000 passengers had yet been registered daily. 1990 threatened the Dunedin railway station completely to sink into insignificance after New Zealand Rail had the Otego Central Line closed down with the famous passage through the Taieri Gorge. With the setting of The Southerner called long-distance passenger transport service between Invercargill, Dunedin and Christchurch in 2002, the gigantic station completely lost its original meaning.

New use

Despite the withdrawal of the national railway NZR and the private successor Tranz Rail and Toll Rail passenger from the train station is still in use corresponding. Since 1990, the Otago Excursion Train Trust the Taieri Gorge Railway operates as the largest New Zealand tourist railway - with exit station at the Dunedin Railway Station. In 1994, the City Council Dunedin the station building by the government for a small sum. Together with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, the building was extensively restored in subsequent years and repaired after only relatively few ordinary conservation measures had been carried out in the 90 years since it opened.

Today the station building houses the showrooms of the Taieri Gorge Railway, the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, a gallery, a restaurant and offices of the city government.

Swell

• Website of the Dunedin Railway Station
• Churchman, Geoffrey B.; Hurst, Tony: The Railways Of New Zealand - A Journey Through History, HarperCollins Publishers ( New Zealand ) (for 1st edition 1990), transpress New Zealand Wellington ( 2nd edition 2000), ISBN 0-908876-20-3.
• Otago Excursion Train Trust: Folder Dunedin Railway Station - The Story of New Zealand 's Grandest Railway Station ", 1998, no ISBN
• Website of the Taieri Gorge Railway