Wellington Railway Station
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Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway.When completed in 1937, it was New Zealand’s largest building. The land upon which it is built is reclaimed, and it was the first major New Zealand structure to incorporate a significant measure of earthquake resistance. It was constructed by Fletcher Building, and was one of that company's first major construction projects. It is built in Georgian architecture style and was designed by New Zealander W. Gray Young, famous for his neo-Georgian styles.
When it opened, Wellington’s two former stations closed: Lambton, built by New Zealand Government Railways to serve the Wairarapa line; and Thorndon, built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company to serve what became the North Island Main Trunk.
It was built to accommodate the head office of the New Zealand Railways Department and was the head office of its successors, the New Zealand Railways Corporation, New Zealand Rail and Tranz Rail until the latter moved to Takapuna, Auckland. Currently ONTRACK, the government's rail infrastructure owner, occupies the east wing with Toll New Zealand, and Victoria University of Wellington occupies the west wing.
It incorporates a steel frame encased in reinforced concrete and supported on groups of reinforced concrete piles. Bricks used for the outer cladding are of a special design, with slots to accommodate vertical rods reinforcing the brickwork and binding it to the structural members. It required 1.75 million bricks, plus 1500 tonnes of decorative stone (granite and marble).
It has worn well - it copes with large daily passenger numbers with very little alteration having proved necessary. In its first year, 7,600 passengers made 15,200 trips on 140 trains daily. Today, 22,000 passengers make 44,000 trips on 390 trains, excluding long-distance services.
It is serviced by suburban trains, operated by Tranz Metro; The Overlander and Capital Connection long-distance trains, operated by Tranz Scenic; bus shuttles to the Picton ferry, operated by the Interislander; and long-distance coaches, operated by Intercity and Newmans. The adjacent bus station is served by nearly all Wellington bus routes.
In December 2006, a New World Metro supermarket will open on the ground floor. This coincides with considerable renovation of the station's interior and exterior, and has already resulted in the closure of the the Railway Kiosk and the American Hotdog vendor.
| Image:Tranz scenic logo.PNG The Overlander passenger train stops: (North Island Main Trunk Railway) | Image:Flag of New Zealand.svg |
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