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Martinborough Branch
The Martinborough Branch was a proposed railway line that would have connected the south Wairarapa town of Martinborough to the Wairarapa Line in New Zealand’s North Island. It was to have been used by passengers and by goods traffic for a productive agricultural area that was not well served with reliable transport links. Construction started, but was quickly suspended and never resumed.
The first attempt to have a railway constructed to Martinborough was a private effort initiated by a small group of local residents. On learning that the route of the Wairarapa Line would be some distance away, the Waihenga Railway Committee was formed and sought a survey of an appropriate route. The survey was completed, but unfortunately for the members of the committee an attempt to solicit donations to cover their costs met with a less than enthusiastic response. Public indifference doomed the project.
Interest in the idea revived around 1905. The Premier, Joseph Ward, was the guest of honour at a luncheon hosted by the Featherston County Council on 18 December 1907. The Council chairman used the opportunity to impress upon Ward the importance of a railway to Martinborough, and also made clear the inadequacy of the roads in the region which were not expected to cope with future traffic requirements. The Premier responded that the Railways Department was at present busy with other railway construction projects around the country, but as soon as an engineer was available a preliminary survey would be made of the suggested route to gauge the costs involved. He indicated that he did not see any undue difficulty in eventually getting the project approved. Though this meeting was the beginning of the proposal that came the closest to fruition, it ultimately failed to be realised.
World War I led to the establishment of a military training camp north of Featherston. This camp was served by a siding that was extended from a backshunt at Featherston. After the war the siding was used on several occasions for race trains to Tauherenikau Racecourse. In evidence presented to the Fay-Raven Commission of 1924, the Minister of Public Works stated that it was his understanding that the siding was to be the start of a branch line to Martinborough. Despite being abandoned by 1 November 1926 by the Department of Defence and offered to the Railways Department, the siding remained unused following the closure of the camp until being lifted in the 1930s.
In 1925, concerned that Martinborough may not receive what it was due in terms of transport links, the town’s administration prevailed upon the Railways Department for improved services. One of the principal concerns was, given that the town was not to receive a direct rail connection as originally envisaged, that merchants and passengers in the town should not be disadvantaged by having to pay the higher rates of private transport operators compared with the cheaper railway rates they would have been able to pay had the railway come to Martinborough. As an alternative to the abandoned idea of a railway line, they suggested that the Department should provide services using an electric tram, trolley bus, or light rail system. The Department never seriously considered these proposals when, after examining the relevant information, it concluded that the revenue to be derived from such a service would not come close to covering the capital and operational costs involved, and that the only viable option was to use petrol-powered lorries and buses.
No further proposals for the line were advocated. The final blow to any chance of a branch line to Martinborough came in 1953 when the Greytown Branch closed.
Following the meeting with Joseph Ward in 1907, local politician John Hornsby stated that if the government was unable to commit the necessary funds to the project, he was confident the funds could be raised privately. At his insistence, the Railways Department conducted a preliminary survey of both the Featherston – Martinborough and Greytown – Martinborough routes in 1908, the findings of which were made available internally in a report dated 4 August.
The Department did not consider the line to be a matter of urgency, and with plenty of other work for its staff did little to advance the Martinborough project. A new survey was called for by the Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department on 10 March 1913 following the passage of the Railways Authorisation Act 1912 through Parliament the previous year. This authorised the construction of the Wellington-Napier (Featherston-Martinborough Branch) From Featherston to Martinborough. Length about eleven miles (17.7 km). The District Engineer, in response to a later missive on the subject, stated that he expected the survey to be completed by the end of February 1914 and the plans by 31 March.
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Martinborough Branch
The Martinborough Branch was a proposed railway line that would have connected the south Wairarapa town of Martinborough to the Wairarapa Line in New Zealand’s North Island. It was to have been used by passengers and by goods traffic for a productive agricultural area that was not well served with reliable transport links. Construction started, but was quickly suspended and never resumed.
The first attempt to have a railway constructed to Martinborough was a private effort initiated by a small group of local residents. On learning that the route of the Wairarapa Line would be some distance away, the Waihenga Railway Committee was formed and sought a survey of an appropriate route. The survey was completed, but unfortunately for the members of the committee an attempt to solicit donations to cover their costs met with a less than enthusiastic response. Public indifference doomed the project.
Interest in the idea revived around 1905. The Premier, Joseph Ward, was the guest of honour at a luncheon hosted by the Featherston County Council on 18 December 1907. The Council chairman used the opportunity to impress upon Ward the importance of a railway to Martinborough, and also made clear the inadequacy of the roads in the region which were not expected to cope with future traffic requirements. The Premier responded that the Railways Department was at present busy with other railway construction projects around the country, but as soon as an engineer was available a preliminary survey would be made of the suggested route to gauge the costs involved. He indicated that he did not see any undue difficulty in eventually getting the project approved. Though this meeting was the beginning of the proposal that came the closest to fruition, it ultimately failed to be realised.
World War I led to the establishment of a military training camp north of Featherston. This camp was served by a siding that was extended from a backshunt at Featherston. After the war the siding was used on several occasions for race trains to Tauherenikau Racecourse. In evidence presented to the Fay-Raven Commission of 1924, the Minister of Public Works stated that it was his understanding that the siding was to be the start of a branch line to Martinborough. Despite being abandoned by 1 November 1926 by the Department of Defence and offered to the Railways Department, the siding remained unused following the closure of the camp until being lifted in the 1930s.
In 1925, concerned that Martinborough may not receive what it was due in terms of transport links, the town’s administration prevailed upon the Railways Department for improved services. One of the principal concerns was, given that the town was not to receive a direct rail connection as originally envisaged, that merchants and passengers in the town should not be disadvantaged by having to pay the higher rates of private transport operators compared with the cheaper railway rates they would have been able to pay had the railway come to Martinborough. As an alternative to the abandoned idea of a railway line, they suggested that the Department should provide services using an electric tram, trolley bus, or light rail system. The Department never seriously considered these proposals when, after examining the relevant information, it concluded that the revenue to be derived from such a service would not come close to covering the capital and operational costs involved, and that the only viable option was to use petrol-powered lorries and buses.
No further proposals for the line were advocated. The final blow to any chance of a branch line to Martinborough came in 1953 when the Greytown Branch closed.
Following the meeting with Joseph Ward in 1907, local politician John Hornsby stated that if the government was unable to commit the necessary funds to the project, he was confident the funds could be raised privately. At his insistence, the Railways Department conducted a preliminary survey of both the Featherston – Martinborough and Greytown – Martinborough routes in 1908, the findings of which were made available internally in a report dated 4 August.
The Department did not consider the line to be a matter of urgency, and with plenty of other work for its staff did little to advance the Martinborough project. A new survey was called for by the Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department on 10 March 1913 following the passage of the Railways Authorisation Act 1912 through Parliament the previous year. This authorised the construction of the Wellington-Napier (Featherston-Martinborough Branch) From Featherston to Martinborough. Length about eleven miles (17.7 km). The District Engineer, in response to a later missive on the subject, stated that he expected the survey to be completed by the end of February 1914 and the plans by 31 March.