Kapuni Branch

When the plains of South Taranaki were being laid out, provision had been made for a railway line between Eltham and Ōpunake and a railway reserve set aside in an almost straight line between these centres. However, initial route surveys conducted in 1908 concluded that this reserve was “a little too far to the north to serve the country generally in the most efficient manner” and new surveys were conducted to find a more suitable route across the plains. [1]

The four routes surveyed were:

• Ōpunake to Stratford
• Ōpunake to Hāwera
• Ōpunake to Eltham
• Ōpunake to Te Roti

The route from Te Roti was ultimately chosen as being the most direct and least expensive option. It also took a more central route over the plains, creating a shorter journey for coastal farms to access the railway.

The branch line came about as a result of an election promise at the 1911 New Zealand general election.[2] A branch line of "about 23 miles" to Ōpunake was authorised in 1912 for £400,000 by the Railways Authorization Act 1912, with work commencing in 1914. [3]

Earthworks reached Kapuni by 1916, but progress was slowed by World War I. Work was suspended in December 1917, and recommenced in March 1919. At the peak 200 men were employed on line works, including a large 1.6 km cutting near Waiteika. The Waingongoro Bridge near Te Roiti, an unusual (for New Zealand) brick arch bridge, was completed in 1921, and the second bridge in 1923.

The Public Works Department began running goods trains to Kapuni from 1 August 1923, and to Mangawhero Road by December 1924. The Ōpunake terminal was reached on 8 June 1925. On 12 July 1926 the Railways Department took over the line. [2]

When the branch was opened to Ōpunake in 1926 services consisted of one return service three days a week, running on Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Services were run as mixed services, with passenger accommodation included attached to the end of the freight train. [2]

Services departed Hāwera at 9:30am, reaching Ōpunake 90 minutes later. Return services departed at 11:45am reaching Hāwera at 1:42pm. There was no stationmaster assigned to Ōpunake station initially, despite the large station building provided. [5]

By 1930 goods traffic had increased and an extra service was scheduled for Thursdays as well. As well as general freight and livestock, a number of smaller dairy factories along the line provided good traffic at this time. [6][7] Road competition for freight from these dairy companies ramped up from the 1940s with several dairy companies preferring to truck produce directly to New Plymouth. [8]

The first official train to Opunake was hauled by a W^w class tank engine.[13] Later A^B class tender engines became the usual motive power until the end of steam power in Taranaki in late 1966.

From December 1966, D^B class diesel locomotives became the primary motive power used (introduced a few weeks after the nearby Waitara Branch railway). By the 1980s they had in turn been replaced with DC class diesel locomotives running as far as Kapuni, the new end of the line.

The following stations were located on the Opunake Branch. All stations closed to passenger traffic on 31 Oct 1955.

The railway station building in Opunake was a Class A[14] lean-to building, complete with general and ladies waiting rooms and space for a station office.

From the 1970s traffic to Ōpunake was becoming negligible due to competition from road transport. However, the section as far as Kapuni was much better patronized, chiefly due to the New Zealand Lactose factory at Kapuni and the natural gas and urea plant at Palmer Road.[16] For this reason, in April 1976 it was decided to close the line beyond Kapuni (effective 31 July 1976). At the same time the rest of the branch was upgraded and renamed the Kapuni Branch.[4]

The lifting of the railway beyond Kapuni was initially subject to a union ban, and track and buildings remained in place until the early 1980s (similar to what happened with the closure of the Waiau Branch in Canterbury around the same time). [17]

• Marton-New Plymouth Line
• Mount Egmont Branch
• Stratford–Okahukura Line
• Waitara Branch

• Article on opening of Opunake Branch, 1926