Marsden Point Branch
| Marsden Point Branch | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Proposed, subject to funding |
| Termini |
Oakleigh Marsden Point |
| Operation | |
| Owner | New Zealand Railways Corporation (land) |
| Character | Rural |
| Rolling stock | None |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 16km |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
The Marsden Point Branch is a proposed branch line railway in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It would diverge from the North Auckland Line south of Whangarei and serve Northland Port at Marsden Point. The proposal has existed since the 1970s and as of 2007, land is actively being purchased for a rail corridor.
The Marsden Point proposal has been preceded by two earlier lines: the Onerahi Branch of 1911-33, and a proposed Waipu Branch that was partially built and then abandoned. The former was built for the same purpose as the Marsden Point Branch: better harbour access for Whangarei. In 1885, the government officially acknowledged that the wharf serving the Whangarei to Kamo railway line (later part of the North Auckland Line) was inadequate for the purpose it served and an alternative in deeper water was necessary. This was found at Onerahi, but construction was not approved until 1899 and the branch opened on 2 October 1911. The port served coastal shipping between Whangarei and Auckland, and when the North Auckland Line was completed in 1925 and provided a quicker overland route, traffic switched from ships to the railway and the wharf suffered a decline. The Great Depression further ruined the port's fortunes, and with insubstantial traffic the Onerahi Branch closed on 30 June 1933.
Although the Onerahi Branch mirrors the Marsden Point Branch in purpose, the Marsden Point proposal more closely follows the route of the proposed Waipu branch. The branch was intended to serve agricultural interests and was surveyed in 1914. After World War I, work began and formation was established. At least 25 men were at work on the line's construction in 1920. However, a lack of government will doomed the line, and before any track was laid it was cancelled in 1924.
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