Lyttelton Rail Tunnel
The Lyttelton Rail Tunnel, originally Moorhouse Tunnel, linking Christchurch with the port of Lyttelton in Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand.
It is the oldest still operating railway tunnel in New Zealand and is used by the Lyttelton Line, one of the first railway lines in the area.
When completed in 1867, he was the first tunnel in the world by an extinct volcano, with 2.7 km length of the longest in New Zealand. Its opening made the first public railway in New Zealand, the Ferrymead Railway, superfluous.
History
Background
The first settlers of the Canterbury region had for the transport between the port of Lyttelton and the Canterbury Plains only two possibilities: up a mule track over the Port Hills or transport by ship across the sandbar at Sumner and the Heathcote or Avon River.
The Canterbury Provincial Council was established in November 1853 began, in just four months later, a commission should investigate ways of improving the transport connection. They found only one road connection via the Sumner Road feasible, which should receive a 320 meter long tunnel under the Evans Pass. For a rail link, there were two alternatives: a direct route of the Heathcote Valley down and then through a 2.5 km long tunnel to the coast of Lyttelton, and a less direct route via the Avon Heathcote Estuary, then along the coast to Sumner, of where a shorter tunnel should lead to Gollans Bay and after Lyttelton from.
The inability to determine in its final report on a clear recommendation of one of the variants led to the railway plans were temporarily put on hold. However, the stricter the traffic problem to an extent that in 1858 Superintendent William Sefton Moorhouse -enforcing that the Provincial Council was devoted to the question again. The Council noted £ 4,000 for engineering services and a tender of the building are available.
The Commission previously used under WB Bray examined the two railway lines now in more detail. The provincial engineer Edward Dobson preferred the route via the Gollans Bay, as these could be used with their adequate water depth without dredging as roadstead. It spoke other factors against this route, so the fact that they Lyttelton, then a building under growth economic center of some importance, bypassed. In addition to that, the area is exposed to the wind and was present at the bay too little suitable land for port facilities. Although the Commission looked at this route as the best to the port, they decided against a more accurate measurement, because their task was to look for a distance " by Lyttelton ".
The report of George Robert Stephenson, a consulting engineer for the Provincial Commission, however, favored the direct route. It is the shortest route, the access to all the important places offered, the building would be 32 % cheaper than the longer route and it would be cheaper to operate and maintain. The only advantage of the distance across the Bay Gollans would be a projected construction period of three to five years for the direct link. The Commission adopted the report by Stephenson and asked him to look for a suitable candidate English as a prime contractor.
Superintendent Moorhouse was a strong supporter of the tunnel project. During the Wahlcampagne for re-election for the Super indene Denten the province of Canterbury in 1857, the tunnel was the central theme, as Moorhouse's rival Joseph Brittan spoke out against the idea. Moorhouse was strongly supported by the citizens of Lyttelton. Of the 12,000 inhabitants of the province, including 3,205 in Christchurch and Lyttelton in 1944, both candidates each received 206 votes from Christchurch. Overall Moorhouse won with 727 against 352 votes. Moorhouse start the project on July 17, 1861 the groundbreaking.
Construction
Stephenson hired the English contractor John Smith and George Knight, who wanted to complete the project in five years. It was agreed a price of £ 183,051 for the tunnel or £ 190,551 for both tunnels and portals. Smith & Knight sent towards the end of 1859 a representative, a foreman and 12 miners in New Zealand.
The miners drove at both ends of the tunnel exploratory courses in the mountain. 180 m from the Lytteltoner end they met on the rock, which was much harder removed as they had suspected it from the previously sent to England samples. They drew the conclusion that it was impossible to consummate the contract for the agreed sum and requested further £ 30,000 for the completion of the work. After consultation with the provincial government of Canterbury engineers decided not to continue working with Smith & Knight. It was later discovered that Smith & Knight at that time were in serious financial difficulties, which offers a different explanation for the additional claim of £ 30,000.
Since Smith & Knight were unable to fulfill their contract, Moorhouse sought the Council's approval for two measures: on one hand the tunnel on the length of the left by Smith & Knight test excavations finish and secondly to look for another contractor to complete the tunnel. The Council agreed to the first requirement, even as you had stated in the contract with Smith & Knight to take on the responsibility for the tunneling into the country fetched foreign workers, the project should be abandoned. The second question was decided for the time being turned down because you had to clarify the financing first.
Meanwhile, the provincial engineer Edward Dobson submitted its own plan for completion of the structure. The biggest problem of the previous work was the penetration of water through the tunnel front, which made it difficult to drilling and slowed the work. Dobson suggested that propel additional transitions from both sides, which should drain the water. The work began with 340 men and an estimated cost of 42,800. After only 88 meters and 6 months of work already took the next contractor.
Moorhouse sat down next to the railway line and suggested that the government should take out a loan for the construction and should take a " competent and responsible company, " for the work under contract. On behalf of the Council Moorhouse traveled in January 1861 to Melbourne in Australia. Upon his return in May he was able to report success in two questions.
Of the three offers that had received Moorhouse, the two offers were rejected with the lowest prices, so that the remained of Holmes & Richardson. George Holmes undertook with his signature on 16 April 1861 the contract to perform according to the offer under the condition that the local conditions correspond to the description. He traveled with Moorhouse to Canterbury to sign the actual contract. The contract provided for a cost of £ 188.727 for the tunnel and an inclusive price of £ 195,000 with the two portals. During the term of the sum for improvements to the site in Lyttelton was increased by a further £ 5000.
The work was continued by both sides of the tunnel. At the time a total length of 1844 meters is reached, the construction of the Canterbury Southern Railway began as a connection. The breakthrough was made on 28 May 1867 by Lyttelton. Mid-November, temporary track was laid in the tunnel. The first locomotive, No. 3, happening on November 18. The current drawn by the same locomotive first freight train followed a week later, the first passenger train on 9 December.
The tunnel was, however, explained only in June 1874 "ready" for. Up to this time the government had further £ 20.710 for " maintenance " is output.
The Railways Department was considering in 1914 to expand the tunnel with a second tube, but this was not implemented.
Operation
When the colonial government decided a few years after opening the tunnel to establish a uniform gauge for the entire colony, they made some exceptions for existing railway lines in other gauges, new buildings had to be done, however, generally in the new standard narrow gauge. Exceptions included the tracks of the province of Canterbury, was what passed by the Parliament of Canterbury Gauge Act. This law provided, to lay a third rail instead of a gauging of existing lines, so that the rolling stock is 1067 mm gauge could use the rails. Rather than take the inconvenience of such a solution in buying, let the provincial government between Addington and Lyttelton lay a narrow-gauge track alongside the original track 1600 mm broad gauge. The narrow gauge line reached Christchurch on March 7, 1876, Lyttelton 34 days later.
Since the traction was performed with steam locomotives, it came in the tunnel to smoke nuisance. The Railways Department tested in August August 1909 a reorganization of the locomotive Wf 433 on an oil burner, which caused less smoke. The locomotive moved during the test phase, 450 -ton freight trains through the tunnel. Although the smoke was in fact impaired, was given up the idea because the additional costs exceeded the benefits.
Some years later the route between Christchurch and Lyttelton was electrified. After 1923 the Otira tunnel was successfully electrified and a report had recommended the electrification of the network in the suburbs of the four largest cities in the country, electrified to the tunnel to the same system as in Otira. The overhead line with a voltage of 1500 V was 1929 in operation. Since the tunnel was originally built for the larger vehicles of the broad gauge, the tunnel was large enough to incorporate the overhead line without tags can. The first train with electric locomotive ran on 14 February 1929 Christchurch to Lyttelton. 1970 reached the electric locomotives of the EC class the end of life. With the decline of rail traffic through the opening of the Lyttelton Road Tunnel in 1964 and the almost complete conversion of the railway traffic on diesel the overhead line was dismantled.
Current usage
The tunnel is owned by ONTRACK and operated by KiwiRail. Today, it is used exclusively in freight trains. 2010, including six timetabled connections in both directions. These include coal trains from Ngakawau on the west coast of the island. Other trains transport goods between the port and Christchurch.