Ngaruawahia Railway Station

Ngāruawāhia Railway Station
Ngāruawāhia station, about 1910. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington
Location	Ngāruawāhia New Zealand
Coordinates	37°40′05.9″S 175°08′56.1″E / 37.668306°S 175.148917°E / -37.668306; 175.148917Coordinates: 37°40′05.9″S 175°08′56.1″E / 37.668306°S 175.148917°E / -37.668306; 175.148917
Owned by	KiwiRail Network
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Tracks	double track from 4 December 1938
History
Opened	13 August 1877
Closed	29 July 1978 (goods), 1975 (passengers)
Previous names	Newcastle until 1878

Ngāruawāhia Railway Station was at the junction of the North Island Main Trunk line and its Glen Massey branch, serving Ngāruawāhia in the Waikato District of New Zealand, 74 mi (119 km) south of Auckland and 10 mi (16 km) north of Hamilton. It was opened with a special train from Auckland on Monday 13 August 1877.

The station opened on 13 August 1877, as Newcastle, when the line was extended 31 mi (50 km) from the previous terminus at Mercer. It ceased to be the terminus when the line was extended to Te Awamutu on 1 July 1880. The name was changed in 1878. Two months after opening, a platform was built opposite the Delta Hotel in the town centre, though the goods shed remained to the south.

The 1902 edition of The Cyclopedia of New Zealand described the station as wooden, with an asphalt platform, goods shed, lamp and luggage rooms, a ladies' room, public waiting room, stationmaster's office and a post office. In 1916 the station was reported as "rearranged considerably", which seems to have been when it was moved to about half way between the hotel and the goods shed. Electric lights were installed in 1921.

Traffic grew steadily (see graph and table below). The greatest increase was at the start of World War 2, presumably consisting largely of soldiers and relatives travelling to and from Hopuhopu camp.

Work started on a road rail bridge over the Waikato River, with three 120 ft (37 m) spans late in 1874. Cylinders for the piers were delivered in 1875 and the first was put in place on 24 June 1875. The bridge was said to be near completion in April 1876, and a test train was run over it and it opened for road traffic in December 1876. However, it wasn't reported as finished until 1877, the year of a permanent way contract for the 30 miles from Mercer for £16,832. The bridge, like the station, opened for rail traffic on 13 August 1877.