Te Awamutu Railway Station

Te Awamutu railway station
Te Awamutu Railway Station about 1909.
Location	New Zealand
Coordinates	38.0049656,175.3101357
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
History
Opened	1 July 1880
Closed	10 April 2005
Electrified	June 1988
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station Te Mawhai Line open, station closed   North Island Main Trunk KiwiRail   Ngaroto Line open, station closed

Te Awamutu was a temporary terminus, serving the border town of Te Awamutu, on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand from 1880 until 1887, when the line was extended south. It was 3.04 km (1.89 mi) south of Ngaroto and 4.16 km (2.58 mi) north of Te Mawhai.

It was about 800 m (2,600 ft) from the town centre. Sir George Grey claimed that was due to opposition from local residents.

The 1902 edition of The Cyclopedia of New Zealand described the station as, "of wood and iron, and contains a public vestibule and waiting room, ladies' waiting room, and general office. It has also a long passenger platform and a convenient goods shed. The stationmaster is assisted by a junior porter and a guard, and two gangers are resident in Te Awamutu."

Trains calling at Te Awamutu included The Overlander, Blue Streak, Scenic Daylight, Daylight Limited, Northerner and Night Limited.

The station buildings were demolished in 2001 and replaced by a shelter until the station closed in 2005.New Zealand Dairy Board (now Fonterra) rebuilt its freight connection about 2000.

Since 2005 there has been a large flow from the dairy factory to Crawford St depot in Hamilton.

There are still hopes that passenger services may resume. For example, in 2015, Waipa District Council said, "it is important to preserve the rail platform facilities and infrastructure in Te Awamutu to enable future passenger rail connections between Te Awamutu and Hamilton".